Trying To Keep Up!

And suddenly, they have all emerged back from their winter sleep. Adults are mating, youngsters are growing, females are laying eggs, it is all happening out there in the fields.

The photographs are 'piling' up on my hard drive, it looks as though I have already plenty to go through over the winter months and summer hasn't even arrived yet.

A beautifully sunny, warm and windstill Saturday was perfect for spending time in the naturally kept meadows nearby. I was rewarded by seeing insects that I had never seen before ...

 .. such as this caterpillar. I could not take my eyes of it; those somewhat plastic-like white spots giving the whole creature a somewhat alien like look. One day it will be a  Aphelia paleana moth.

Difficult to miss: this beautiful and bright male Azure Damselfly. I could not get a good angle on it as it would have meant disturbing other insects nearby so I left it at this. Another insect I hadn't seen before, isn't it stunningly beautiful?

I am finding myself to have too many favourites ... I like them all! It took me a while to get used the the strangely proportioned Click Beetle but they are growing on me. The fields were filled with these chaps on Saturday.

 Another beetle that is 'new' for me: the Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle.

While I am observing these individual insects I learn to understand their body language. By that I mean I can tell what they may be up to next, or if they are angry / distressed (by my presence close up) or are they relaxing and soaking up the sunbeams or are they taking off. 

Here (above photograph) I really though I was about to see it take off. I waited ... and waited ... any second now ... but no! It decided I wasn't that frightening afterall and settled back down on the leaf. Perhaps next time.

A little further on I was witness to a crime: this Sawfly was devouring one of my models (a soldier beetle) and it was clearly enjoying every moment of it! I took a series of shots of this moment, what fascinated me the most was to the the sawfly's stringy, green neck. 

But there are vegetarians, too: this little weevil was munching away on this oak leaf, at a surprising speed, leaving a quite artistic curvey pattern.

This one was a new sighting for me and I am not yet sure what 'model' it is. It may belong to the jumping spider family, I am yet to find out. It is certainly small enough. The pattern on its back is quite remarkable, no?

And old friends return - Soldier Beetle. They have very expressive little faces, with their big, round eyes and are either very shy or very forward coming. Most of them are very happy posers. You'll see them everywhere in the meadows, flying (quite clumsily) from spot to spot, searching for a mate or food.

Of course I had to pay the Grasshopper nursery another visit and everytime I notice more skins and more tiny nymps. This one is of middle size. The wings will grow later. You can read more about the Grasshoppers here: 'The Grasshopper Nursery'

 A moth of some sort, will have to look it up when I have more time.

It caught my eye because it was taking up a position of great importance, somewhat posing like Royalty. It is a tiny insect and it was hard to see anything to focus on to get the picture sharp enough. But if you look at it (click the image for larger version), it is indeed a very handsome creature.