2014 Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Insect Week

Reed Beetle Preening

A reed beetle (Plateumaris sp.) of the beetle family Chrysomelidae. This is an uncommon species in the UK, though Woodwalton Fen provides a typical habitat for these reed-feeding insects.

Honeymoon on Flower

A pair of weevils mating in the seclusion of a large colourful flower in Vadodara, Gujarat.

Orthetrum Cancellatum Dragonflies Mating

A pair of black-tailed skimmers (Orthetrum cancellatum) perching on a stem near the water at a local pond in Palovec while mating. This gave Petar Sabol the opportunity to capture this well-focused image of these two strikingly-coloured dragonflies.

Marbled Whites Mating

These two marbled white butterflies were photographed mating in the National Trust beauty spot of High and Over, an area of downland overlooking the Cuckmere river. The female caught Bob Eade’s eye because of the distinctive bright orange-brown colour wh

Family Planning

Common red soldier beetles, Rhagonycha fulva, are frequently seen as mating pairs like this. Beverley Brouwer reports that they are often in great abundance in the fields near her home in Genemuiden. In this photograph she especially liked the contrast

New Coat

This sawfly larva first caught Beverley Brouwer’s eye because it didn’t have the black head that she had previously seen in other sawfly larvae. Looking closer, she saw that this was because it had just shed its old skin, which was wrapped neatly around

The Alamo!

Red ants fiercely attacking an intruder near a flower bed in a park in Hong Kong on a sunny day. Icy Ho was taking insect photos with her 90mm macro lens when she noticed this circle of red ants surrounding a black insect that had invaded their territory.

I See You, I Have Eyes in the Back of My Head

Red mason bee feeding on wallflower in the photographer’s garden in late May 2014. This was the first time that Brian Pearson had introduced red mason bees to his garden with the purchase of about a dozen pupae, which had all emerged successfully.

Five-Spot Burnet (Zygaena trifolii) Feeding On Buttercup

Five-spot burnet (Zygaena trifolii) feeding on buttercup

Coupled Blue-Tailed Damselflies

The blue-tailed damselfly, Ischnura elegans, has five different female colour forms. The female in the mating pair here is the immature rufescens form, with a salmon-pink thorax and blue tail spot.