Focus Stacking

Even though I have posted Pixie Cup images before, I wanted to share another as this is my first result of using StackShot hardware and Zerene Stacker software. The above image is a composite of 14 separate pictures taken at f/4. Stack Shot is a motor driven mechanism that sequentially moves the camera closer (or farther - your choice) to the subject, thus allowing the images to capture a deep in-focus area. Zerene software then blends the images into a composite that results in a depth of field that can't be obtained otherwise.

Here is another "focus-stacking" example that is comprised of 20 images of a 3" long twig viewed end-on.


Here is one of the 20 images:

Yellow Coral Mushroom, Clavulinopsis corniculata

This picture shows a small portion of a 3-foot diameter Douglas Fir stump that for the last 18 years has had nothing much growing on it. About 3 years ago the bark fell to the ground and a few weeks ago I noticed these 1" high coral mushrooms sprouting from the trunk.

Red Pixie Cup, Cladonia Borealis

Taking advantage of a lull between storms, I took a trip to the Moulton Falls area on the East Fork of the Lewis River in SW Washington this afternoon. There is a very large fallen Cedar tree that is home to many lichen and I stumbled across this interesting specimen. It is only about 1/10" across and reminds me of a miniature goblet with red ornaments around the perimeter.

I suspect that the odd, but similar looking lichen to the lower left of the Red Pixie Cup is the immature form.

Hair Ice, Haareis (German), Silk Frost, Frost Flower

This has got to be one of the strangest things I have ever seen. I was walking in our woods this frosty morning and came upon this old Alder branch that had fallen to the ground. At first I thought this was a fungus that I had never seen before, but I broke off a piece and it literally melted on my fingers - this strange sculpture is made of ice finer than a human hair! The only thing I can figure is that moisture inside the branch was forced out into the freezing air through extremely small openings. The entire 'frost beard' is about 6" long and 2" high.

Here is a link to a You Tube video that I made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuyViwX9CCk

Same branch, different frosty morning (2-18-2011). When this picture was taken, temperatures had been below freezing for only 2 hours which probably explains why this ice formation is only 1/4" high.
After 15 minutes I went back to check on the ice and to my amazement it had doubled in height to 1/2"

Today (2-20-2011) again had the right conditions for silk ice formation; the picture below shows the same branch as the previous two sessions



I searched our property for more examples and out of the hundreds of Alder branches on the ground I found two more branches with silk ice:



Closeup of ice strands exiting the third branch that I found.

Deer Fern, Blechnum spicant

This evergreen, medium sized fern is found along stream banks in moist to wet forests, so it is easy to see why so many are found in the Pacific Northwest!

Bog Deervetch, Lotus pinnatus

Growing along the banks of the East Fork of the Lewis River near Moulton Falls, this interesting bi-colored flower is found in wet areas. A member of the Pea family, and also known as Meadow Bird's-Foot Trefoil. Here is a view looking straight down from above:

Side view:

False Hellebore, Veratrum californicum

While hiking near the top of Bells Mountain in SW Washington, I came upon this nearly 6 foot tall plant growing along a small spring. Hellebore is poisonous to cattle, sheep, goats, and other animals that graze this plant.