Randy has a Canon, don't remember which model. I have a Canon Rebel that I got last year. I'm still learning as I didn't use it after my fall. You can't go wrong with a Canon DSLR.

And, congrats on the RSPs. I have them around but I don't have a Wild Cherry by my porch! The Wild Cherry in my neighbor's yard throws all kinds of seeds into my yard. I dug up one seedling and hope to plant it.

You just get the best stuff in your yard!!

Check out B&H photo. They have a great selection and good prices.

Sandy

Sorry to hear about your camera MissSherry! Seems like you just got it--funny how the years go by. Miss your pictures.

Amazing that you got to see the RSP laying eggs! I should go check the willows in the area.

Have fun shopping for a new camera!

missherry, I think you probably know that one problem with digital cameras is that the standard setting is for them to auto-focus, and even if your egg is in the center of the frame, the camera may select something else (the leaf edge, or something distant) to focus on.

So when you do your shopping, try to select a camera that you can override to do a manual focus. I would recommend going to an actual camera store rather than shopping in a general store where the clerks are not familiar with a camera's features.

This year, after years of using a small pocket digital, I stepped up to a Nikon Coolpix P100 (about $400), which is a compact digital larger than the pocket ones but still easily held in one hand while twisting a leaf with the other. It zooms from 26mm wide-angle to about 700 mm telephoto and has true macro capability, and manual focusing and exposure bracketing and all that. I've been delighted with the results.

I wish I had read your post before I bought my new camera, Minnesotastan, because the Nikon Coolpix sounds great! I'll probably get it next time - I'll write it down.
They had some Canons on sale at Walmart for $99, so I got the name and number of it, looked up the reviews on the computer for it and read that, although it didn't have all the bells and whistles of the more expensive cameras, it did a good job of macro shots. So I decided to buy it.
I made this shot of the very tiny RSP cat, as good a picture as I've ever made of such a tiny cat -
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Sherry

I'm back in the RSP game after a year off. One kept laying eggs on my main crabapple today. It is the main tree I feed to my cecropias so I'm worried I'll feed the RSP eggs to my cecropias. I ended up with two eggs, ones that I watch her lay on the tree and then never took my eyes off the leaf. I have had ZERO luck in my life with ever finding RSP eggs unless I watch the specific leaf. I spent a lot of time going over that crabapple but could not find any of the others. It is like they turn invisible after 2 minutes.

KC

They always lay them at the very tip of the leaf. The same for Viceroys.

runmede,

That is what makes it so frustrating. I just have to look at the tip of the leaves and I still cannot find them.

KC

I have to wear reading glasses. Right now, I'm into 250 magnification. These work great for finding those tiny eggs on the tip of the leaves and the caterpillars, too.

Mona

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures

Sherry,

That's a great photo for the price you paid. I have a Canon DSLR. It was a little more than $99.00.

Yes, Randy, I've seen the prices of those DSLRs - high!
I got another picture of a tiny red-spotted purple hatchling that I think is better than the first one, significant, because before I got this camera, I never could get a good picture of a hatchling. Close-ups were supposed to be the forte of this camera, and I think that's true -
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Sherry

Hey thats a great closeup! And what a cool cat!

I see from this thread, I had no RSP eggs in 2009 but had some in 2010. Updating: I had zero last year. BUT, my wife and I were sitting at the dining room table about an hour ago. She spotted a dark butterfly hanging out in our river birch. She thought it was laying eggs. I had her keep her eye on one leaf. I went outside and she directed me to the leaf. There was a RSP egg on it so I'm back in the RSP business. I don't remember seeing a RSP egg on birch before. RSPs are wannabe moths, like TSTs.

Another highlight was as I was walking back around my house, I saw a male luna hanging on the side of my house. I had 3 female lunas out last night. I was awoken at 2 AM by a male banging on my screen. I went out to find one already mated, one banging on the screen, and one flying about 10' away. I caught the banger but the 10 footer disappeared. I'm guessing this is 10 footer.

Congratulations on the luna moths and the red-spotted purple eggs, KC! It's funny you just saw eggs being laid today, because I saw the same thing for the first time in a while today, too. A female laid quite a few eggs on the wild black cherry outside my bedroom window, and when I went out to the garden, I saw her, or one just like her, resting on the lantana. She nectared on the Ellen's Blue butterfly bush later. I got her picture on the lantana -
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Sherry