Zimbabwe Absurdity

I found this jewel beetle (Family Buprestidae, probably Sternocera orissa) on a stem of grass while out for my evening walk with Jenni. It was difficult to photograph because every time I moved or put the camera near it, it would move around to the other side of the grass blade. Even relatively small movements of my head would have it moving in the opposite direction! I eventually got around the problem by holding the grass with my left hand and using my camera in the right. It is not ideal; really a tripod is needed for this type of photo because the focusing becomes critical the closer one is to the subject. My camera is a little 5 mega pixel Canon Digital Ixus 500 but it has a remarkably good macro feature. I bought it in Germany in June 2004, the current model already has 10 mega pixels! I would love to upgrade to a SLR but the piggy bank is a bit lean at the moment. Never mind, I still have fun.

I walked past where the skeleton of the heron lies (see earlier blog “A Dead Heron”). There are still some feathers and a few bones to be seen if one moves aside the cluster of cosmos growing there. It is easy to see where it is; the cosmos is much greener than those on either side and about 100% taller. Ashes to ashes, bones to fertilizer.