<< Previous Next >>

Poor beetle


Poor beetle
Photo Information
Copyright: Monika MvJ (thistle) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1317 W: 77 N: 3012] (9272)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-05-08
Categories: Insects
Camera: Nikon Coolpix 4200, Nikkor ED 38-114 F/2.8-4.8
Exposure: f/2.8, 1/185 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2006-05-09 3:55
Viewed: 1200
Points: 58
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Picture taken yesterday in Lublin Botanical Garden. Of course I didn't go there to watch the plants :-)

May is a time of Maybugs (Melolontha melolontha).

These, quite big beetles, are on a list of the most terrifying creatures every "normal" Polish girl is afraid of. Of course the others are spiders, bats, frogs, snakes and so on :-)

Why is that?
There's a kind of custom among kids in Poland. When the May comes and these beetles are easy to find on any shrubs, the time of terror begin :-)

Boys capture the Maybugs and use them as a "living bullets", throwing them on girls. The effect is obvious - lost of screams and cries. I must admit it was quite terrifying because as you can see on the picture the bettles legs have two very sharp "claws" and when the bettle was thrown on a clothes or hair it was quite difficult to get rid of it, especially when some of the girls were deadly afraid to touch the beetle.

Sometimes Maybugs were also used as "gifts" when boys put them in girls backpacks. You can imagine how such young lady reacts finding one of these poor beetles there.

Some more interesting facts about them?

Maybugs definitely aren't gifted fliers. They crash very often with walls, windows etc. It won't be nothing strange if one of them will crash with you :-)

These is no doubt one of the most tasty European beetle - of course I didn't try it and I don't intend to ;-) but I saw what a hen or duck can do too catch and eat it. As I said these beetles fly rather bad, so they often find themselfs on the ground. That is what the "hunters" are waiting for. Over a dozen hens and ducks trying to catch the beetle - very special scene.

These beetles are great "toy" for cats. They just love to chasing them and catch beetles that fly low enough. Some cats eat the beetles as well.

So, as you can see they have a very hard life :-)
Kaszek, dew77, Wahclellaspirit, jcoowanitwong, christophe, TAZ, red45, aido, eruyanik, limier, timonejoon, marhowie, Actiereactie, ramthakur, firelord, fiyo, scottevers7, fchede, hekcik, peter_stoeckl, RII, andante has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekNature members may write critiques.
Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To peter_stoeckl: Maybugs soupthistle 1 05-18 10:37
To fchede: Sizethistle 1 05-11 08:39
To aido: normalthistle 2 05-09 12:18
To eruyanik: of course...thistle 1 05-09 08:05
To red45: throw bugs backthistle 1 05-09 07:41
To Wahclellaspirit: maybugsthistle 1 05-09 07:35
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3067 W: 231 N: 6166] (21070)
  • [2006-05-09 4:14]

Great POV of this maybug, Monika.
Fabulous close-up with excellent focus and exposure.
Interesting composition. TFS. : )

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2006-05-09 4:15]

Hello Monika!
Wonderful nacro.It's very close,well detailed and composed.Lighting,POV,DOF you managed,sharpness on head,blurred BG and composition are perfect.
TFS..:-)

Swietny portet Moniko! Bardzo lubie te owady. Wydają się być bardzo sympatyczne ;) Na przelomie maja-czerwca jest ich u mnie na dzialce prawdziwe zatrzesienie.
Buzka ostra, tlo pieknie rozmyte. Tak jak powinien wygladac dobry portret. Gratulacje!

Hello Monika,
A beetle that takes on the look of a Caribou with its antennae and foreceps looking like antlers. Excellent photo, the look of the May Bug is indeed odd. I like the DoF and exposure of this beetle.
Were you one of these Young Polish Girls that LOVED the MAYBUG? Great note.......
Steve

Hi Monika
Great macro of your beetle, light and colors are excellent
Regards
Christophe

Hello Monika,
Excellent close-up. Sharp and clear picture of this maybug. I find your note interesting and fill with humor. TFS
JC

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2006-05-09 4:40]
  • [+]

Ha, ha, what a lovly note :-) I bet, boys from your place were very dissapointed when you throwed back bugs at them :-) Great macro! Sharp face and blurred rest of picture made very arty composition. Colours are also perfect. I like it very much! Probably I'll go to look for these creatures today's evening.

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2006-05-09 4:44]

What an impressive macro, the beettle seems coming on me throught my screen. All the parameters are good.
Congratulations Monika and thanks for sharing.

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-05-09 4:52]
  • [+]

Hi Monika,
So I guess you're not a "normal" Polish girl then :-) Interesting note, I don't know for sure but I suspect kids in England (and many other places) do exactly the same things :-) My cat used to carry them into the house in his mouth and 'release' them :-)

Nice shot with an ultra shallow DOF, a change from your normal approach I think. It works well, the colours are fantastic, rich and saturated, excellent detail where it's needed. More great work from you.
Cheers,
Adrian

Hello Monika,
Great note! I like the Polish boy's sense of humour! Hope they didn't throw it to you ;-)

Great picture also. I like the pov and shallow dof! It seems that the antenneas will grab you. I like that beetle, he has got a pleasure like me ;-))These days you're very fast, it is not usual for you, but I like this changing, keep going on Thistle!
Ersin

Excellent macro shot Monika.
Great Pov details and a helpful note.
TFS

Witaj,
Tradycyjnie - bardzo dobre zdjęcie! :-)
Pięknie wykorzystana GO. Soczyste kolorki i BDB kadr :-) Śmieszny ten robaczek, wygląda jakby patrzył z sympatią :-)
Pozdrawiam Małgosia

Hello Monika

woooooooow, great, great POV, i like even DOF, it make the face come out. nice result.
thanks for sharing

Regards
timone

Hi Monika, great POV, details, are very crisp, excellent details great lighting, Great work, TFS Kyle

Hi Monika,
You have shown this "terrifying" monster of a bug very well, with this head-on POV.
Great detail, light, color, and BG..
Re-living childhood experiences are we :)
Very well done and TFS!

Beautiful macro, great story. We have them here in the Netherlands but not enough to throw them around. I had one in my bedroom when I was a child, very distressing, they look extremely large when they are flying, or maybe just when you're a kid in the dark...

The funniest ever description of a beetle, Monika! You are a perfect humorist.
I like the part where boys throw these bugs at girls and enjoy their mortification; a universal way of deriving eros, albeit a little weird, by boys all over the world, I assume. When I was a young lad, I used to throw a wad of rolled up spiky fruit of a plant at girls; it stuck to their clothes like glue!
Lovely image and a very enjoyable note. Thanks, Monika!

  • Great 
  • fiyo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 987 W: 5 N: 2762] (10618)
  • [2006-05-09 15:34]

Hello Monika,
Great shot, very good POV and pose. Very well done .TFS..

  • Great 
  • osse Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 962 W: 0 N: 89] (7801)
  • [2006-05-09 20:04]

Hi Monika
Great macro shot. Good dtails, sharpnes, colours, BG and POV.
Well done
Monika

osse

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1575 W: 5 N: 2181] (12252)
  • [2006-05-09 20:20]

Bonjour Monika!

Félicitations pour cette belle prise,l'insecte est particulié et les détails sont excellents.

Merci.

joseph

Hi Monika,
Your photo is excellent, and the note gave me a good laugh. Beautiful saturated colors. Intricate detail
Scott

Dear Monika...The creature is really ugly..ah ah. I loved the story about it and I am curious to know the beast's size. I confess that if I were a Polish boy I would love to terrify the girls with the bug's help..ah ah ah. If you have a chance, post another picture of him from another POV for us to know better the monster! So you are immune to these bad boys..Great capture, well done.

Witaj,

Coz tu pisac... piekna GO, kolor i detale.
Podoba sie bardzo.

Pozdr
Norbert

  • Great 
  • sily Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 238 W: 6 N: 391] (1893)
  • [2006-05-11 8:44]

Interesting view! Nice idea face to face with a bug! You have done a very good job, good POV and soft focus surrounding the main detail, well done!

Very nice close up. Good POV and BG. TFS

Nice closeup macro of this terrifying beetle. I enjoyed your accompaning note. I will have to try throwing one on my girlfriend first chance I get. :)

  • Great 
  • RII Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 485 W: 0 N: 884] (2812)
  • [2006-05-15 20:05]

Hi Monika.
Wonderful macro, colors and contrast excellent, fine details, great close up.

Saludos...RICARDO.

Monika -
"most tasty European beetle" - the way you picture it it certainly is. Very exciting and appealing frontal approach with a perfect and quite dramatic fall off in sharpness to the rear. Pretty antennae! Delightful colour contrast.
Funny story, too. Tasty - I once read that back in the 19th century the wise and famous Jean-Henri Fabre promoted Maybug soup as an hors d'euvre for the French gourmet society as a well tasting way of getting rid of these bugs. Not a joke. But I still prefer throwing these beetles at girls. :)
Thanks, and best regards,
Peter

Monica, gorgeous macro. The bokeh is amazing. Love the light. Cheers,
Enrique

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF