My original concept for my 2017 Earth Day image included a plumbago flower with a water droplet suspended in the middle of its delicate stamens.  I stepped outside and brought in a small sprig of flowers, and quickly found that the water didn’t bead properly to create the image I was envisioning.  Then I discovered a stowaway!  A small spider was sitting on a leaf.  Apparently they commonly perch near flowers and wait for the unsuspecting insect to come and nectar.  On the day, though, the spider was the one that got the surprise.  He met my macro lens!  I hope you don’t mind spiders…

At first I thought he was dead, because he sat so sit.  Then he started moving, but just waving his legs around a little.  He cooperated nicely and let me take several focus-stacked frames of him.  I marveled at the detail that my macro lens revealed.  This spider was no bigger than my small fingernail!  Herman, I can start to understand your passion for bugs. :)

I made a few images and then took my stowaway back out to his bushes.  As I carefully put his leaf on a safe perch, I said, “Goodbye friend!  Thanks for not jumping on me!”