Buffalo Treehopper Nymph Exuvia - Stictocephala bisonia

Nymphs have long, spiny plumes on their dorsal surface. This is the shed skin (exuvia) of a nymph.

Spotted in a rural herb garden.

The taxonomy for buffalo treehoppers is a bit confusing, and I'm not exactly sure what the current consensus is: Stictocephala alta, S. bisonia, S. bizonia, S. bubalus OR Ceresa bubalus, C. alta...???

comments (14)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

That is one seriously impressive macro, Christine! How about a "making of"? Posted 7 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks Ferdy :)
  
  Sure...but, what does "making of" mean? Posted 7 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    How it was made :) Posted 7 years ago
  2. 1. Christine Young
      
      Lion
      
      Hehe, gotcha...I spotted the exuvia while I was searching for little beasties on garden plants *early* in the morning. I had to pull it off the plant it was on because the sun was super bright. So, I moved into the shade, stuck it on a leaf, and started shooting away. I experimented with a bunch of camera settings, especially the WB, because I just couldn't get the exposure right. But, ironically, I ended up using AWB in the end. The exuvia was actually super tricky to photograph mainly because it kept blowing away with the slightest breeze. It was so light that it was practically weightless. I had a hard time keeping it still and upright! It's pretty amazing that the treehopper can actually crawl out of its skin, and have the skin remain intact like this - even the legs are perfect! Posted 7 years ago
    2. 1. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        Don't take this the wrong way, but it's somehow pleasing to hear that you struggle like the rest of us mortals with tiny critters in the wind :) Thanks for sharing the process, it truly is a spectacular outcome. Posted 7 years ago
      2. Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        Lol. "Mortals", my arse. JD is full of mind blowing photography, including your own.
        
        And, I'm just faking it! I have almost no idea what I'm doing - I just shoot lots of pics, semi-randomly change settings, and hope at least one is in focus. I'm learning though :) Posted 7 years ago
        
        Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        Well, if we're in confession mode, I just do point and shoot with the only setting I change being aperture.
        
        I truly believe the main skill in handheld macro photography of living subjects is being in the right place at the right time, and persisting a lot. Posted 7 years ago
        
        Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        Hehe, busted! I do the same in that I just point and shoot, but change AWB as needed. Sometimes I adjust aperture, but hardly ever. Posted 7 years ago
        
        Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        I change aperture almost every shot, and even for a single subject multiple times based on distance.
        
        I've never cared for white balance at all because when post processing RAW, you can change it afterwards.
        
        But I don't even need to do that anymore, the D850 has a new WB mode called "natural daylight" which is almost always correct. Posted 7 years ago
        
        Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        The white balance is really ridiculous and I feel like it’s so often incorrect. I’ve never shot RAW, but I have been thinking about it. Do you find that it makes a big difference? The D850 sounds like a dream camera. Posted 7 years ago
        
        Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        To me it makes a huge difference, in particular when I shoot in challenging conditions. I can bring back a lot of detail in underexposed and overexposed parts. Bonus is being able to change the WB. And one more: if you keep your RAWs, you can reprocess them several years later, with newer techniques or skills.
        
        Downside of course is way bigger files and needing to process every single file. Normally I recommend everyone to use RAW, but in your case, you seem to be doing just fine without it :) So tough choice! Posted 7 years ago
        
        Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        I like the idea of going back to old RAWs to reprocess in the future. Space is an issue, but not insurmountable. I’m curious about the processing, and am going to try it out by taking some RAW test shots of my cats...They are the perfect models ;) Posted 7 years ago

RMFelix

Lion

I have never seen this nymph of Stictocephala, so gorgeous! Great capture* Posted 7 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks! Posted 7 years ago