four up close images. The first is a potato flower. The third is a lipstick plant

[alfredo]

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Three?

The detail on that spider is incredible!

[alfredo]

2. Thanks. I added the potato flower at the last minute and didn't change the subject

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. The cactus/succulent pods look so wonderfully alien.

And potato flowers are quite pretty,but so small they often are overlooked.
Nice shots.

[alfredo]

4. Thanks. The prickly Pear is edible. Very seedy, but tasty.

[Mira]

5. All exquisite - but along came that spider and and became my favorite.

Great work, Alfredo.

[alfredo]

6. Thanks, She made me work for the picture. She looks like a refugee from

the forest.

[Tindalos]

7. I'm in love with that spider picture

Now I want one as a pet.


-----------------------------------

[alfredo]

8. They refuse to be potty trained.

[Tindalos]

9. I had one as a room-mate

It was as big as the palm of my hand, I kid you not. It only came out late at night and it was there before I moved in, so I let it be. Cleanest, quietest room-mate I ever had.


--------------------------------------

[alfredo]

10. But then you start finding things that prey on spiders, like House Centipedes.

[Tindalos]

11. House centipedes?

I've never seen them inside the house. Just ants and silverfish.


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[alfredo]

13. Here's a picture. They are harmless to humans, but deadly to spiders.

They are really fast.

[Tindalos]

18. Gah!

No, thankfully we don't have those. Unless they are lurking where I can't see them.


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[alfredo]

21. We used to have daddy long legs, which also preys on spiders, but they

are gone and the house centipede has filled that niche. I'd rather have the daddy long legs. We might see one every few days. Such is life living next to a woods. We see creatures great and small.

[Callalily]

12. I'm in total agreement with

the group. Your spider shot is fantastic, but I also love the lipstick plant pic. I've never heard of one, much less seen one. And just as a side-note, I have eaten prickly pear. It was in a breakfast dish.

[alfredo]

14. Thank you. The lipstick plant is very hardy, and an easy house plant to grow.

When I lived overseas the kids would sell prickly pears to travelers. The ones in the Sub Sahara are much larger than what is native to the eastern US. The African ones are about the size of a Kiwi fruit.

[Celebration]

15. GREAT spider pic

Not sure what kind it is--be glad it isn't a recluse!

I have to say that I love all the closeups you post here. I'm inspired.

[alfredo]

16. Thanks. I really like close up shots. It plays into my feelings about approaching

subjects through the eyes of a nine year old.

[Celebration]

19. very cool idea

I think I used to lie down on the grass and look up at the clouds. Maybe that is why I like cloud pictures.

Now, if I approached photography through my two and a half year old grandson's eyes, I think I would be posting not only bugs, but tow trucks, excavators, and bulldozers. He can notice a tow truck a mile away, I promise. I think he likes trains okay, too, so maybe I will do a train series for him.

[alfredo]

20. I believe it was the Great Emmitt Kelly that said the secret to clowning is

to watch young kids. Maybe that can be applied to photography. Kids are concerned with what is right there in front of them. They see the small things. They are in touch with where they are and what is in that "where."


Emmitt Kelly

[alfredo]

17. Threes