When I was a young lad it would be a magical night when it was lighted by thousands of glowing fireflies. Things have changed over those oh so many years now and sadly, so has the number of fireflies in the nights sky.

Perhaps it's due to the loss of their habitat for those fields that I would roam when young are now subdivisions and commercial spaces lighting up the night with the lights of cars traveling to who knows where.

This is one that I preserved last summer that I stage for a focus stacking session from time to time. I wanted to see how it was doing and while it was out to make the most of it. This session consists of 326 images taken at step increments of 10-micrometers each. Illumination was three LED desk lamps diffused through layers of vellum tracing paper placed on the lens much like that of a lens hood. The stack of images were processed in Zerene Stacker for this resulting image.

None have had any problem.
But the idiot Mr. Biden stumbled 3 times like the old fool that he is and fake news tried to cover saying he was blown over.
What a crock. The idiot in chief was holding onto the handrail, a VERY light breeze, and he stumbled 3 times badly.
Ford was on WET seeps holding a umbrella etc. and SLIPPED on those wet steps.
The President did NOT fall or slip on any ramp but a slick metal ramp with leather soled shoes there is a possibility of slipping and the President knew that if he did slip the media would show it for decades like they do President Ford.
Remember the falls of Hillary you excused as well? President Trump NEVER slipped or fell but used hand rails for their intended purpose like we ALL do.
Mr. Biden stumbled like a feeble minded old fool 3 times HOLDING the hand rail. If the wind was a factor why did the idiot stand at the top and salute those below rolling on the ground laughing at him instead of going into the safety from wind of the plane?

This is one of the very many Brown Recluse Spiders around our home area. Missouri is one of the states that one is likely to find them. They are easily identified by their 'fiddleback pattern' and that they have six eyes instead of the more common spider eight eyes.

Although they can deliver a nasty bite, Brown Recluse spiders do not attack people. They defend themselves when they are disturbed when they are in hiding. A brown recluse is more inclined to flee than to fight and their venom is their livelihood so they use it sparingly. Brown Recluse spiders are...well, they are reclusive as reflected in their name. They hide in and around anything because they are both stalkers and ambushers of insects and other spiders that they prey on. When someone disturbs their hideout, the spider may bite in defense and many times it is a "dry bite" so they may not inject their venom. If you live around Brown Recluse Spiders shake your clothes and shoes out before putting them on and be careful when you pick up items that have been left laying around.

This is my preserved Darkling Beetle that I staged for a focus stacking session to showcase its face, mandibles and other mouthparts.

Darkling beetles are quite beneficial and they eat both fresh and decaying vegetation. They are a food source for birds, rodents and lizards so they play an important part in the food chain.

The larval stages of several species are cultured as feeder insects for captive insectivores and include the very commonly known ‘mealworms’ and ‘superworms’ and the lesser-known ‘mini mealworms’. They are available at nearly all pet stores and many raise them for a food source for their insect eating collection of pets.

This is one of my preserved Asian Beetles that I staged for a focus stacking session. They may appear to be a Ladybug Beetle however they are no lady and the little buggers will nip you if they get agitated.

The purpose of this session, aside from just doing something enjoyable, was to experiment with "indirect reflected lighting". The lights are aimed away from the subject and at a reflector (styrofoam bowl) placed on the end of the lens. The light then reflects onto the specimen evenly and softly.

This was a first attempt and it shows promise so I will continue to tweak this method over the next few sessions to see if it is a keeper or just another in a box full of "not so great ideas".

This is my Fire Colored Beetle larvae that I staged for a focus stacking session. The larvae are believed to be predators and likely feed on other wood-dwelling invertebrates like worms, termites, ants, and other beetle larvae.

I found this one under some deadfall in the woods during one of my walkabouts. Their 'tail end' has a set of false pinchers which are often used to distract those that may prey upon them into thinking that it is their head and not their tail end so they may lose their tail yet live another day.

The adults are black with a red thorax and they tend to be found on flowers so it is believed that they feed on pollen and nectar which provides some pollination benefit as they wander about from plant to plant.