Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Spiderweb Houseleek

SPIDERWEB HOUSELEEK, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 20, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/350 sec. f11
ISO 1600

The Spiderweb Houseleek (Sempervivum arachnoideum) is a ground-hugging succulent native to Europe and North Africa, with fleshy leaves arranged in dense rosettes. At the height of its season it'll be covered with a web of white hairs. When I captured it the other day as part of an assignment for a macrophotography class, a stray ladybug gave the image some colorful interest. If you click on the photo and look closely, you'll also see a host of microscopic black beetles, perhaps aphids of some kind.

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