I suppose, to an insect, that the foam layer on top of a glass of beer looks like a solid landing place. But this is one of those risks that if it gets a second chance at it, this will only be because of the benevolence of the putative drinker of said beer, who doesn’t want a mouthful of insect to spoil his enjoyment. Learn the lesson, kid.
It’s just a ladybird, off for a walk. They can fly, they just seem to prefer walking. Another shot used mainly because the focus came out right, and the shot therefore ended up as intended.
Another day when there wasn’t really a great deal to look at, but it was a sunny afternoon with good light, so in the end, something came up. I like how the air behind it seems to shimmer with the promise of a golden summer, but of course all that is in the past — today could have been the last truly sunny and warm day until March, for all we know. And let’s consider ‘post’ as having a double meaning.
While walking, as is my wont, through random parts of the country this afternoon I suddenly became aware that what looked surreally like a set of filing cabinets stuck in a field 1,200 feet above sea level was in fact home to a very, very large number of bees. This was not just a ‘hive’, but an entire bee city. Prudently, I swung round on a considerable detour — but there’s always the zoom lens option. (A note to the managers here — please, put ‘Keep Out!’ signs at both entrances to a field…)
We have reached an officially measured total of 21.2kg/46.6 pounds of harvested plums. This is the all-time record haul since it started bearing fruit about fourteen years ago (we forget exactly). I think the insects can have their fill now, I’m feeling plummed out.
The insect was after the nectar. The flower wants its pollen moving on. I wanted the blackberries, the seeds of which will in turn be distributed. We all get something out of the transaction.
A bit more sunlight today — hardly high summer though. Heatwaves are just something other people are having. The buddleia seem happy, however, and there were plenty of butterflies around in the garden this afternoon.
A walk to the Lakes today, and there were some nice landscape shots I could have chosen, partly because I was thinking I had done the ‘nature close-up’ theme yesterday, and partly because the Lake District is usually quite nice to look at. But those who want to see more of what it looked like around Loweswater yesterday can check out my walking blog (well, one of them anyway). In the end I chose this because the light came out just right and it was not until I looked at it a third time, at least, that I noticed the companion insect hovering just above the Orange Tip. Are butterflies insectivorous? Perhaps it should be worried.
Sitting at a table on the forecourt of the Bay Horse pub in Oxenhope, I noticed this metallic-looking bug on the pipe next to me, took this picture, thought no more about it. Another one appeared in Clare’s glass, while fishing it out we discussed what species it was, had no idea. The decision was made that its colouring should be described as ‘bronze’. Then after moving on to watch the football, another appeared. Then another. Not swarms, but a constant stream. I still have no idea what type of insect this is, but there has certainly been a mass hatching of them in the Oxenhope area.
I’m not convinced about all the technicalities of this shot but it was done with an extremely long zoom (x80 at least) and in that respect it’s pleasing enough. We don’t really pick up any of the details on the wings of the Cabbage White but let’s not get too ambitious, eh — at least, not with my kit.
Being 42 