Paul

Well done Polly, lovely image. Paul.

This afternoon on my compost bin. Two globular springtail head-dancing - or whatever it is they are really doing... courting of course! Deutosminthurinus pallipes, maybe. Teniuphantes sp spider. A vivid coloured larva in the same place (with an Orchessela cincta passing by to give some size comparison). A green thing is an early instar nymph of Cicadellidae, ca. Empoasca etc. Paul.

Great shot. I like these flies - they have such graphic bodies! Paul.

Lovely vibrant colours too John. A marmalade hover I think. Paul.

Cheers again John m8. Paul.

Thank you John. Paul.

Cheers Geoff Paul.

Thanks Geoff. Paul.

Ladybird & a fly tonight: Paul.

Pieris rapae, I pretty sure (but I have been wrong before...) Paul.

Lovely - we had some in our garden last summer but not this. Paul.

Cheers Geoff. Paul.

Harvestmen essentially have an oval body without the separation a spider has (head and body). They also do not produce silk or a web. They are not true spiders. Venom produced by spiders helps them in their role as predators, but harvestmen do not need venom because they are scavengers. They feed by searching over the ground or over plants for small insects, eggs, or dead material (either plant or animal). Paul.

The European Harvestman I suppose... Phalangium opilio. Paul.

Good gracious - a big thank you Polly for selecting this - I know it's a lot more abstract than most (of my) macros, and maybe that's what makes it so different. Thank you for choosing it. Paul.

Haha, thanks Polly... It wasn't that small really, about 2 inches or more across the leg span. Paul.

Thanks Polly - it was almost surreal watching them move in the air - a freeze frame is so different to watching them almost seem alive! Paul.

I didn't expect to find these, but that's what makes macro so different, the discovery of something nobody expects to see... Paul.

Nice one John - this is the Araneus diadematus - the cross spider. Paul.

The slug is just a little one Polly, so not as grotesque as the bug slimy ones! Paul.

Yes, very small <2mm I reckon Geoff. Paul.

Thanks Geoff, I'll have a read up tomorrow. Paul.

This apple has fallen from our tree and started to decompose - and proved to be home for some little fellas (I assume collembola)... Paul.

The slug is about 20mm, the leaf maybe 45 or 50mm. The others living beings are tiny! But I don't know what they are... I'll update when I find out though. Paul.