A tiny ant tending a crop of whiteflies. They feed off the honeydew secreted by the whiteflies and in turn protect the whiteflies from predators. Studies have shown that colonies of whiteflies tended by ants are much more successful than those without ants. The white substance in the shot are wax filaments that cover the nymphs. Of all the ants on the leaf only this one was lighter in colour and also the smallest. I include a second photo showing the whiteflies and a drop of honeydew above a nymph hidden in the wax filaments. This second photo is only included for interest's sake and not because I think it is a good photo.:)
I used f8 to capture the sharpest detail possible on the head and sacrificed some dof.
Canon 5D Mark11; MP E 65mm; MT 24EX
apert f8; ss1/200; iso 200
crp, shrpn, nr, levels, removed some flash highlights and warmed the greens slightly.
Absolutely beautiful !
Love the details on the ant's face in the 1st image. Thanks for sharing both images and information. I was aware of ants and aphids co-existing in this manner but am coming across same behavior with white flies now. Thank again for sharing.
Another fascinating look into the world of Vida's insects! What really gets me about all these images is the way you must wait for just the right composition in most cases. You seem to always get us eye contact and a good head angle so we can "relate" to the insect. Exposure is right on - there are a few small places that might be slightly overexposed but nothing really jumps out and distracts and that's hard to believe considering how much is going on. You do a wonderful job of telling a story and putting everything together in one frame. Nicely done!
Hi Allen, Dave, Julie, Kaushik, Jules, Jackie and Indranil. Thank you all for the great feedback. I'm glad you like it.:) Jules, thank you for pointing out the whites. It is actually a processing mistake as I lifted the whites more than I should have during PP.:)
The Farmer
Reply With Quote
