Macro photography quiz - can you tell what it is?
Post categories: Springwatch
| 18:05 UK time, Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Macro photography is the art of taking close-up pictures that reveal details which can't be seen with the naked eye. Award-winning cameraman Alastair MacEwan took this macro photo and will be in the show tonight - can you guess what it is?
Answers are at the bottom of the page
Picture 1 by Alastair MacEwan
Macro photo #1
We've also selected seven of your beautiful wildlife macro photos from the Springwatch Flickr group, so let's have your best guesses and we'll post the answers tomorrow. (If you can't wait, you can click on the titles to find out now.)
Macro photo #2
Macro photo 3
Macro photo 4
Macro photo #5
Macro photo #6
Macro photo #7
Macro photo #8
Answers.
1. A nettle
2. Orange tip butterfly
3. Wood pigeon
4. Green lacewing eye
5. Snail eye
6. Slow worm
7. Broad-winged damselfly (or demoiselle)
8. Lumpsucker skin
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Comment number 1.
At 29th May 2012, joyce cox wrote:I think it is many parts of a Dragonfly
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Comment number 2.
At 29th May 2012, Wilma wrote:Definitely a dragonfly!
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Comment number 3.
At 29th May 2012, Jadams wrote:Is picture 1 the stinging hairs on Nettles
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Comment number 4.
At 29th May 2012, James Common wrote:I think the first image is part of a Venus Fly Trap? :)
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Comment number 5.
At 29th May 2012, nellieberta wrote:Not a Chiff Chaffin' clue - on any of them!! Amazing photography though!
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Comment number 6.
At 29th May 2012, kissingengland wrote:Hello Springwatch! Love the programme, keep it up. I have a question for the team - about some eerie animals I saw - with photos. How do I email you? I keep getting pinged back from springwatch@bbc.co.uk
Thanks v much..
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Comment number 7.
At 29th May 2012, rimo wrote:First pic looks like a nettle leaf to me...
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Comment number 8.
At 29th May 2012, Steve Hopkins wrote:Nettle stinging hair.
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Comment number 9.
At 29th May 2012, wildsagebrush wrote:STINGING NETTLE
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Comment number 10.
At 29th May 2012, Jenny F wrote:I think No. 1 is the hairs on a caterpillar. No. 7 is definitely where an insect's wings joins its body but is it a dragon fly or a plain old bluebottle?
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Comment number 11.
At 29th May 2012, chris peck em wrote:The needles of a common nettle
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Comment number 12.
At 29th May 2012, skattykatty wrote:Stinging Nettle
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Comment number 13.
At 29th May 2012, firebird2110 wrote:Picture 1 - the business end of a stinging nettle?
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Comment number 14.
At 29th May 2012, colouredkingfisher wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 15.
At 29th May 2012, StoatsJackson wrote:Hairs on a stinging nettle leaf
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Comment number 16.
At 29th May 2012, Jeremy wrote:First image is a close up of a stinging nettle.
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Comment number 17.
At 29th May 2012, Tom Collins wrote:Photo 1, the challenge set on Spring Watch 29.5.12 is a stinging nettle hair!
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Comment number 18.
At 29th May 2012, gandalfrees wrote:Has to be a catapiller :)
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Comment number 19.
At 29th May 2012, Keri wrote:Picture 1 - my son and I think it is a stinging nettle
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Comment number 20.
At 29th May 2012, dolphindreamer wrote:Sundew
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Comment number 21.
At 29th May 2012, SteveAllain wrote:1. A Stinging Nettle Leaf
2. Not sure
3. Compound Eye
4. Feather
5. Snail Eye
6. Scales of a fish
7. Dragonfly or Damselfly
8. Chiton
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Comment number 22.
At 29th May 2012, ben w wrote:I think the first pic is of a stinging mechanism of our stinging nettle
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Comment number 23.
At 29th May 2012, IrelandsWildlife wrote:Photo 1: Nettle Leaf
Photo 2: Butterfly eye / head
Photo 3: Blue tit feathers
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Comment number 24.
At 29th May 2012, becktrain wrote:Mayfly
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Comment number 25.
At 29th May 2012, Roger wrote:I think Pic 1 is the surface of a stinging nettle leaf
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Comment number 26.
At 29th May 2012, littleowl95 wrote:I think that it is the hairs on the caterpillar
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Comment number 27.
At 29th May 2012, FayWoodford wrote:A stinging nettle?
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Comment number 28.
At 29th May 2012, Wharfrat wrote:1. Stinging Nettle
2. Butterfly
5. Snail
7. Damselfly?
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Comment number 29.
At 29th May 2012, philgreenworld wrote:Number one is the sting of a Common Nettle
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Comment number 30.
At 29th May 2012, Jim wrote:I think picture one is stinging nettles.
JIm Parry
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Comment number 31.
At 29th May 2012, Purple Sheffield wrote:I'm pretty sure this is a close up of the poison hairs on a stinging nettle leaf
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Comment number 32.
At 29th May 2012, beckym82 wrote:I think the first pic is hairs on a caterpillar!
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Comment number 33.
At 29th May 2012, reikimaster wrote:I think the first one is the spines on a caterpillar
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Comment number 34.
At 29th May 2012, GrahamB wrote:For certain Picture 1 is a Caterpillar.
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Comment number 35.
At 29th May 2012, Stirling177 wrote:Picture 1= Horse Chestnut
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Comment number 36.
At 29th May 2012, Phil M wrote:Picture 1 is some sort of carnivorous plant and a Fly trap or its a Nettle spine
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Comment number 37.
At 29th May 2012, beckyL wrote:Is it a nettle?
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Comment number 38.
At 29th May 2012, myozone wrote:Picture 1 is stinging nettles
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Comment number 39.
At 29th May 2012, Matty-moo wrote:Picture 1 I think is stinging nettles close up
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Comment number 40.
At 29th May 2012, TJ wrote:Is it a green fly?
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Comment number 41.
At 29th May 2012, pinguchick wrote:my husband reckons that image 1 may be an aphid
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Comment number 42.
At 29th May 2012, nikki-17 wrote:first image looks like a caterpila
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Comment number 43.
At 29th May 2012, Steve wrote:Looks like the painful bit of a stinging nettle to me
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Comment number 44.
At 29th May 2012, Myles_Harcourt wrote:1: Stinging Nettle Sting
2: Butterfly Head
3: Pigeon Feathers
4: Beetle Eye
5: Snail Antenna
6: Snake Skin
7: Fly emerging from pupa
8: Some sort of fungus
I don't know if these are right, but just a guess...
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Comment number 45.
At 29th May 2012, Stephen Kitchener wrote:First pic is a stinging nettle leaf
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Comment number 46.
At 29th May 2012, Sophia wrote:Stinging nettle
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Comment number 47.
At 29th May 2012, Emmerdy wrote:I think it may be the hairs/needles from a common nettle.
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Comment number 48.
At 29th May 2012, George wrote:picture 1 is of a caterpillar
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Comment number 49.
At 29th May 2012, alida_3000 wrote:Stinging nettles
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Comment number 50.
At 29th May 2012, AlesBelotti wrote:This is a picture of a nettle :)
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Comment number 51.
At 29th May 2012, Chris wrote:It's the stalk of a stinging nettle I think.
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Comment number 52.
At 29th May 2012, Evelfa wrote:I think image 1 is the poison barb on the surface of the leaf of a stinging nettle
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Comment number 53.
At 29th May 2012, Triplexbee wrote:Stinging nettle for me, Image 1 that is.
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Comment number 54.
At 29th May 2012, Crystaliris wrote:#1 stinging nettle stings
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Comment number 55.
At 29th May 2012, aheaney wrote:Hi, I think this is a nettle
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Comment number 56.
At 29th May 2012, wildkat wrote:i think number 1 is a nettle
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Comment number 57.
At 29th May 2012, Tony wrote:I think it is a close up of a nettle leaf
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Comment number 58.
At 29th May 2012, Luckyl1995 wrote:It's a blue dragonfly :)
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Comment number 59.
At 29th May 2012, Janet_77 wrote:Picture #1 - Think these are nettle stings
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Comment number 60.
At 29th May 2012, Liqnov wrote:I think tonight's image is Stinging nettle or common nettle, Urtica dioica
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Comment number 61.
At 29th May 2012, Hill_B_bug wrote:Lacewing larvae? Chrysopa sp
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Comment number 62.
At 29th May 2012, Si wrote:I think you'll find it's a damsel fly wings folded vertically,
First I think may be stings on a nettle
Then it's a butterfly of some kind
Then feathers
Then acompound eye of an insect
Slug or snail eye
Fish scales possibly a cyprinid
Damselfly
Then judging by sand possibly a sea squirt or something
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Comment number 63.
At 29th May 2012, KiteSpringer wrote:Sundew?
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Comment number 64.
At 29th May 2012, Chris wrote:The hairs of a stinging nettle: the top bit is designed to break off like the tip of a disposable syringe all ready to inject nasty stingy chemicals.
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Comment number 65.
At 29th May 2012, David Aspden wrote:Damn that nettle sting!
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Comment number 66.
At 29th May 2012, MrMashyman14 wrote:I think that 2,3,4 and 7 are parts of a Dragonfly, 1 is the back of a Caterpiller, 5 is a snails antenna, 6 is a snakes back, and 8 looks like a thing called a lumpsucker. I've heard of it, but not too sure what it is exactly.
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Comment number 67.
At 29th May 2012, KingyKingfisher wrote:I think Macro picture 1 is the hairs of a caterpillar????
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Comment number 68.
At 29th May 2012, Annabelle wrote:Photo number 1 is a caterpillar!
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Comment number 69.
At 29th May 2012, smudger210 wrote:i think it is the spines on a caterpillar which can actually cause a rash if touched
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Comment number 70.
At 29th May 2012, JungleGeorge wrote:Top photo is nettle showing the prickly stingers on the underside of the leaves.
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Comment number 71.
At 29th May 2012, Ravenhook wrote:Picture 1....sun dew, carnivorous plant??
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Comment number 72.
At 29th May 2012, John fuller wrote:I think it's a close up of stinging nettle stings.
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Comment number 73.
At 29th May 2012, Lee Chapman wrote:I think No.1 is a stinking nettle. Ouch!
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Comment number 74.
At 29th May 2012, Charlotte wrote:OUCH!!! NETTLES!!
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Comment number 75.
At 29th May 2012, Durhamranger wrote:1 - stinging nettle
2 - butterfly
3 - blue tit
4 - compound eye
5 - snail eye
6 - snake skin
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Comment number 76.
At 29th May 2012, DaveOvenden wrote:1. Stinging nettle
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Comment number 77.
At 29th May 2012, Wiskerette wrote:I think that it is a caterpillar hair.
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Comment number 78.
At 29th May 2012, Ross Parker wrote:I reckon it's gotta be a Stinging Nettle!
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Comment number 79.
At 29th May 2012, Emma wrote:Picture 1 looks like a close up of hedgehog spikes - what's the correct term for their spikes? Sorry - I'm a newbie to all this! Emma Simpson in Kirkwall.
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Comment number 80.
At 29th May 2012, civ71 wrote:4: eye of dragonfly
7: eye of snail
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Comment number 81.
At 29th May 2012, steve hildick wrote:is the first photo of stinging nettles
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Comment number 82.
At 29th May 2012, GeoffMcclure wrote:The stinging parts of a nettle!
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Comment number 83.
At 29th May 2012, Millar153 wrote:Hi! I agree with the others on 1: Stinging Nettle
2: the eye of a beautiful Orange Tip butterfly covered in pollen
3: I'm going to guess the feathers of a pigeon/dove of some kind
5: the eye of a slug or snail
6: fish scales?
7: A damselfly I think, maybe Beautiful Demoiselle?
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Comment number 84.
At 29th May 2012, MollyRoseMann wrote:The stings on a nettle.
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Comment number 85.
At 29th May 2012, kai fox wrote:is the first photo a close up of nettle barbs?
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Comment number 86.
At 29th May 2012, Xtine293 wrote:I think it is a nettle hair/sting
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Comment number 87.
At 29th May 2012, Kev wrote:Picture 1 is the needles of the Stinging nettle.
When my son was 3 he didn't believe us they stung. Once he jumped in them he discovered they did. Now he points out all the nettles when we go out for walks.
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Comment number 88.
At 29th May 2012, natureyay123 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 89.
At 29th May 2012, sam725 wrote:The first picture lokks like a stinging nettle leaf.
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Comment number 90.
At 29th May 2012, Mark wrote:Hi Chris great show, I think photo 1 may be the needle or barb from a stinging nettle.
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Comment number 91.
At 29th May 2012, 3503988 wrote:tonights macro is a close up of the stinging hairs on a nettle
Bob Heddle
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Comment number 92.
At 29th May 2012, Jack cairns wrote:Pic is of a Common Nettle (Urtica dioica) hair or, trichome..:)
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Comment number 93.
At 29th May 2012, Steve1972 wrote:Is picture number one a close up of a leaf? Ouch - looks painful!
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Comment number 94.
At 29th May 2012, chris peck em wrote:1, common nettle
2, butterfly
3, starling feathers
4, lacewing eye
5, snail eye
6, slow-worm scales
7, dragonfly
8, sea slug
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Comment number 95.
At 29th May 2012, David James wrote:It appears to be the spines of an Urtica dioica, alas! filled with that dreadful stinging substance!!!
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Comment number 96.
At 29th May 2012, debs wrote:i think this is the stinging spikes on a nettle
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Comment number 97.
At 29th May 2012, Alex_Somerset wrote:stinging nettle
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Comment number 98.
At 29th May 2012, TheEdenFamily wrote:Today's picture is a sting from a stinging nettle - we know because we have been stung by them!! Lots of love Alex & Bella Eden in Warrington XX
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Comment number 99.
At 29th May 2012, Bunpire wrote:I think that picture one is of the spines of a caterpillar.
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Comment number 100.
At 29th May 2012, SAMandEMMA wrote:We think the first picture is a close up of the hollow stinging hairs on a nettle leaf
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