Resting Hoverfly - May 2022

It was an overcast day for my photo shoot in dad's garden this week, and rain looked imminent, so it turned into quite a quick shoot.

I was on the hunt for insects initially, and was quite pleased to come across this Hoverfly (Syrphidae) resting amongst the leaves of a Berberis bush.

Preparing Lunch - May 2022

Things took a sinister turn as I looked inside the leaves of a Spirea bush and spied a Spider (Arachnid) munching away on a Fly (Diptera).

Bluebottle - May 2022

I was really struggling to find my bug buddies, but down by the greenhouse this Bluebottle (Calliphora vomitoria) came to my aid by posing on one of the shelves.

Green Alkanet - May 2022

Thankfully there were plenty of floral subjects to point my lens at, so I started with some of the Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) blooms.

Berberis Blossom - May 2022

The Berberis blossom was still looking rather lovely in its complimentary shades of red and yellow.

Rhododendron Buds - May 2022

It wouldn't be long before the Rhododendron bush was bursting into bloom, although it was hard to believe that these dark red flower buds would turn into bright pink flowers.

Bluebells - May 2022

The Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) were still going well, and signified that springtime was in full swing.

Budding Pyracantha - May 2022

The Firethorn (Pyracantha) bushes were also showing signs of blossom, and were sporting hundreds if not thousands of flower buds.

Hazelnut Formation - May 2022

I spotted these odd looking things amongst the branches of the Corkscrew Hazel (Corylus avellana 'Contorta') tree, and believe them to be the hazelnuts forming.

Pear Formation - May 2022

Meanwhile, amongst the branches of the Pear (Pyrus) tree, there were definitely pears beginning to form.

Iron Gate Lichen - May 2022

Finally, the Lichen growing on the surface of the iron gate caught my eye as it was really rather colourful.

So this week I went with Resting Hoverfly as my Image of the Week simply because it was one of the first decent macro images I'd taken of an insect since getting my new camera...