Microsteris gracilis -- that tiny pink flower underfoot

[rjlittlefield]

Microsteris gracilis -- annual phlox. This is another picture from weekend hiking, just up the hill from where I shot the crab spider with prey and the Propertius Duskywing skipper. This tiny flower was growing in the center of a seldom used dirt road through pine forest -- the two long straight tan colored things are pine needles. Both the location and the size are typical. Plants growing in better places may be wider, but according to my favorite book, the primary stem is typically just 1-5 cm.

The arms-length macro approach failed me on this shot. Auto-focus persisted in focusing on the background, until I stuck several fingers near the flower to force the camera to pay attention to what I wanted. Once I had the proper distance set fairly close, then auto-focus worked fine to finish the job.

--Rik

Technical: Canon SD700 IS with auto-everything. The upper right panel is actual pixels, cropped from a 2816x2112 image.

[Ken Ramos]

Seems as though I have seen something similar around here Rik. There are so many little wildflowers that jump up in early spring and even late spring, that it is a chore to try and identify all of them.

[beetleman]

I really like your layout of the three photos and the fingers for scale (you always were good at the scale part). Nicely done Rik.

[rjlittlefield]

Thanks, Doug -- I like to show scale. I figure it gives people a better idea of what they're looking at. And for those in the know, it's a handy way to help explain why there's so little DOF in these shots!

--Rik