The beauty of photographing insects is that they’re not high in the treetops silhouetted against the sky, they generally sit still, they don’t mind large lenses inches away from them, and they don’t fly away the moment a barking dog or a screaming kid runs past. Spotted this little bug along the riverside walk, pretty little thing, only about 5mm long or so. Couldn’t find it in any of my books, but eventually discovered it was the “mid instar nymph” of a Red-Legged Shieldbug, also known as a Forest Bug. The first photo is mine of the nymph, the second, below, is what it will turn into come July or so, borrowed from the British Bugs website, © Tim Ransom.
I love the eggs particularly (photo also from the British Bugs website) – they look like something Myazaki would dream up.
Macro photography is the new meditation I tell you!
Alastair Swinnerton 