The Insects Are Out 

by Simon Knight

I love this time of year. It brings wonderful colour and interesting new life to the reserve. The fields are looking stunning in their carpet of yellow, the trees are a fresh, vibrant green and the grasses are playing host to the emerging insect life. 

Some of these little critters that I have been photographing are not very easy to spot at the moment as they are in the nymph stage of their life. This Roesel’s Bush-cricket was only a few millimetres long and the Meadow Plant Bug was even smaller. But fortunately, some of the insects really do stand out, like the Red-and-black Froghopper. The Nymphs of this froghopper develop underground on roots and are rarely seen, so when we do get to see them, they are in their adult form, and easy to spot as they feed on the sap of the grass they can usually be found on. 

A new species for me was this Wasp beetle. I found it in Village Green early one morning and fortunately it hung around long enough for me to quickly take 15 pictures, which is what this one picture is made of. In fact, most of the pictures here consist of 15 images that I later stacked together to give one image where the whole insect is sharp. This is a method I often use when photographing insects with a macro lens, as it is usually difficult to get all of the insect in focus whilst still having a clean background that doesn’t distract from the main subject, which can often be a problem when only taking one picture. 

I don’t often photograph flies, but early in the morning they are less active before the sun warms them up, so it is easier to get close to them. I know they are not pretty, but they do make an interesting macro subject.

The Hairy Shieldbug was photographed at the top of Sheep Field, close to the allotments. It was one of many that was in the area due to mating activity. 

This last image is one from around 500 that I took during a 15-minute period. I wanted a shot of the male Broad-bodied Chaser in flight and like all dragonflies, they have favourite perches, so I was able to concentrate on it taking off and landing on the Yellow Flag Iris. Out of all of the shots I took, I only had maybe 50 with the chaser nicely in the frame, and only 10 where it was sharp and in focus. Dragonflies are quick and unpredictable. 

I am now looking forward to the crickets and grasshoppers getting bigger and easier to spot, it’s just a shame there aren’t too many around. I’m also looking forward to finding my first wasp spider. It will be interesting to discover what their numbers are like this year, especially as one of the areas where they were most abundant was flooded for a few days earlier in the year. 

Header image: Green nettle weevil by Simon Knight