The is the same maple terminal bud that I imaged a day or two ago, but this time at 8x instead of 3.7x. It is recognizably similar (even though rotated about 90º). However, nature’s details feel even more raw in this photo. We can see a number of interesting things:
There is more than just one bud at the terminus of the branch.
Moss is just starting to grow on the bud sheaths (green fuzzy stuff)
The ‘hairs’ at the base of each bud are not really very hairlike in closeup; they writhe more than they tumble.
The stress of growing, of dealing with all the cold and wet, are written on the surface of every part.
This was shot with a Nikon CFI Plan 10X objective and a tube lens (Raynox DCR150) in the “short” arrangement. (Instead of putting the full focal length of the Raynox between it and the sensor, I’m using about ¾ of that length.) This is supposed to result in an overall sharper image, but I noticed some areas away from center that did not look so sharp, so I will experiment with the same arrangement at the full focal length of the Raynox later.