During flowering season, it is difficult to get a clear view of hummingbird hawk-moths using the naked eye. However, a super macro photography exhibition has given these rarely-seen moths — often confused with hummingbirds due to their body shape and posture — some much-needed exposure.
Taiwan’s celebrated Bird Photography Club is holding a month-long super macro photography exhibition at the Yangkuei Museum of Culture and Literature in Tainan’s Sinhua District, which aims to give the public a rare, close-up glimpse of the insect world, as well as a greater sense of Taiwan’s rich and varied ecology.
Professional photographer Fan Chao-tung has captured an extraordinary picture of a hummingbird hawk-moth in the act of hoovering up plant nectar, its wings fluttering as it hovers above a flower.
Photo courtesy of Fan Chao-tung
照片:范朝棟提供
Club president Huang Shu-ting says the exhibition features 38 works, including photos of, in addition to the hummingbird hawk-moth, several species of robber fly — also known as the assassin fly — blue-banded bees, carpenter ants, blowflies and jewel bugs. In addition to insects, the exhibition also features a spectacular photograph, taken by Huang, of red-eyed tree frogs that is a veritable feast for the eyes.
Of all the different photographic genres, super macro photography is considered one of the hardest techniques to master, Huang says.
According to Huang, the hummingbird is not actually endemic to Taiwan. She adds that the club hopes that the macro photography on display at the exhibition will provide both adults and children with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the ecological environment, and discover a hidden side of Mother Nature.
Photo courtesy of Wu Shu-fen
照片:吳淑芬提供
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
在花叢間吸蜜的長喙天蛾,以肉眼不容易清楚見到,透過了超微距攝影展,在鏡頭下精彩呈現,只是因為體型與姿態的關係,常被民眾誤以為是蜂鳥,更添趣味。
國內知名的《拍鳥俱樂部》社團,在台南新化區楊逵文學紀念館舉辦平時罕見的「超微距攝影展」,持續一個月的活動帶領民眾貼近觀察昆蟲世界,感受繽紛、趣味的自然生態。
Photo courtesy of Tsai Chin-chin
照片:蔡進欽提供
專業攝影家范朝棟拍到正在吸蜜的長喙天蛾,舞動著翅膀停滯於花間,奇景令人矚目。
拍鳥俱樂部社長黃蜀婷指出,這次的聯展,共三十八幅超微距攝影作品,主角包含各種食蟲虻,以及青條花蜂、矛巨山蟻、大頭麗蠅、長喙天蛾、側緣亮盾背椿象…,還有紅眼樹蛙等,琳瑯滿目,真的很精彩。
黃蜀婷提到,在各類型的攝影中,「超微距」堪稱最艱難的手法之一。
黃蜀婷說,台灣沒有蜂鳥,透過吸蜜天蛾的超微距攝影,讓參觀的大小朋友,更深入瞭解自然生態的奧妙。
(自由時報記者吳俊鋒)
As the priest Antonius Hambroek stood in the dim chamber of Fort Zeelandia, his eldest daughter clung to him, her voice trembling. “Father, don’t go. They’ll kill you, and what will become of Mother and my sisters?” Outside, the sounds of Koxinga’s relentless canon siege boomed through the fortress. The defenders were on the brink of collapse. Starvation gnawed at their resolve, and the air carried the acrid stench of spent gunpowder and rotting flesh. Dutch reinforcements from Batavia had failed to arrive, leaving the garrison isolated and hopeless. Hambroek’s face was calm, though sorrow weighed heavily on his
As we bundle up in thick coats to stay warm during the winter, there is a population that has already adapted to extremely low temperatures. These people live in the remote city of Yakutsk, the coldest city on Earth. Yakutsk is situated in the heart of Siberia, which is the capital of the Sakha Republic in Russia. This historic mining city began to flourish in the 19th century following the discovery of gold deposits. Given its construction on permafrost, the average temperature in the city remains below 0°C for over half the year, with winter temperatures dropping to an astonishing -50°C.
The Dutch introduced the Indian mango (Mangifera indica) to Taiwan in the 17th century. It is a green-skinned mango with thick fibers that get stuck in the teeth, but it boasts a rich aroma and a unique taste. In 1954, Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture introduced several mango cultivars from Florida, USA, including the Irwin, Haden, and Keitt varieties. After seven years of testing and domestication, the Irwin variety was chosen for promotion. Years later, the sample saplings started to bear fruit. These mangoes were large, with thin, vibrant red peels and golden pulp. The Irwin mangoes were mouth-wateringly sweet and
對話 Dialogue 清清:今天中午我要多吃一點,不然晚上可能會吃不飽。 Qīngqing: Jīntiān zhōngwǔ wǒ yào duō chī yìdiǎn, bùrán wǎnshàng kěnéng huì chībùbǎo. 華華:怎麼了?為什麼會吃不飽? Huáhua: Zěnmele? Wèishénme huì chībùbǎo? 清清:今天大年初七,是「人日節」,傳統上結了婚的女兒要回家給父母送長壽麵,而且最好是素的,我姐姐會回來,只吃素麵,我應該很快就餓了。 Qīngqing: Jīntiān Dànián chūqī, shì “Rénrì jié,” chuántǒng shàng jiéle hūn de nǚ’ér yào huíjiā gěi fùmǔ sòng chángshòumiàn, érqiě zuìhǎo shì sù de, wǒ jiějie huì huílái, zhǐ chī sùmiàn, wǒ yīnggāi hěn kuài jiù èle. 華華:我還是第一次聽說有「人日節」呢!這是怎麼來的啊? Huáhua: Wǒ háishì dì yī cì tīngshuō yǒu “Rénrì jié” ne! Zhè shì zěnme lái de a? 清清:老一輩的人說,女媧是在第七天造出了「人」,所以今天可說是我們每個人的「生日」呢!生日快樂! Qīngqing: Lǎoyíbèi de rén shuō, Nǚwā shì zài dì qī tiān zào chūle “rén,” suǒyǐ jīntiān kěshuōshì wǒmen měi ge rén de “shēngrì” ne! Shēngrì kuàilè! 華華:你也是啊!欸?那前六天女媧都做了什麼呢? Huáhua: Nǐ yěshì a! Éi? Nà