Slow Down! Take a closer look!

Slow down and look!

Well, the bug season is well and truly here! It is only April but the unusually warm weather is awakening life all around us! This year I have the added bonus of an assistant! My little grandson Ewan is really getting into the spirit of nature and loves to help me find subjects to photograph! His sharp little eyes put my ageing senses to shame as he tracks down even the smallest creatures and then drags me by the finger to show me!


Most of the pictures in this post are from my own garden with a couple taken in the new forest. These two locations account for the vast majority of my UK wildlife shots



It is already proving to be a good year! Bees of all types, hover flies, spiders (unusually early), frogs, lizards, slow worms, grass snakes, many different butterflies! Although not a brilliant picture, this was the first almost successful picture I have managed of a hoverfly in flight. Happy as I am with my camera, I so longed for a faster speed - this could have been stunning with better equipment!




I caught this little jumping spider on the arm of my garden chair! They are tiny and most people don't give them a second glance, but take a closer look. They really are stunning and so acrobatic. Just look at the huge eyes! If you see one of these little cuties (look carefully, they are only about 3mm long), just move your finger close and watch them jump!

At the other end of the garden, by our pond (the part of the garden that is allowed to grow completley wild) we have an amazing variety of bugs and other stuff! At least 4 frogs are resident, and watch over a large number of tadpoles! Here  I caught our largest resident watching me as I topped up his pond. Lots of loving care required now as we have found the pond leaks! Next winter a new one will be fitted, but for now - daily top ups!

I love the challengs of photographing ants! Has anyone ever seen one sitting still? I do have a very successful technique though. It makes my photos of them a little 'samey' but it does work! Stand close to the nest, get your camera ready and then push a small twig into the nest (carefully, please dont damage their home). Almost without fail, a resident guard will climb the twig to investigate! Word of warning though, you will have to tolerate a few nips! Especially if, like me; you work in sandals! A small price to pay for a good shot though!

Most people really cringe at flies. For me, however, they are a fascinating subject. Most of the people who have attended my wildlife presentations comment that they see these much maligned creatures in a new light after my talks. The complexity and variety is amazing. Plus of course there is a huge challenge in getting close ups without scaring them off! This is far from my best shot, but it is very recent (today) and so is included here.

The sun has also bought out the lizards! This lovely little common lizard popped out in the new forest last weekend. One of several we have seen already! At this time of year they are only just emerging and so are easier to photograph as they do not yet have their summer energy! We saw (well, Gerry saw, I was too slow) our first snake of the year today! A grass snake, arguably our most stunning reptile!



My last picture today is, unusually for me a landscape. The weather over the last few days has been a reminder of what a British summer should be, and today, walking along the avon valley between Ringwood and Salisbury. 3 Lovely walks, unbroken sunshine, and stunning scenery. A Perfect day all round!

Finally, just a little bit from me and the way I think! So many people seem to think it necessary to put down poisons, spray chemicals and do lots of other nasty things to the creatures around them. Remember, if you kill the caterpillars you so hate, you are killing the butterflies you so love. If you kill the insects you so hate, you are starving the birds you love to see. Try reserving a tiny patch of your garden as a wild area. I do this, I use no poisons or chemicals in my garden and kill none of the creatures in my garden. I do not even put down ant powder. I still have lovely flowers, grow a few vegetables, have a wondferful apple harvest every year and walk down my garden, camera in hand, almost every day of the year surrounded by plants and animals! We can all help nature!