World Pinhole Photography Day

Every year on the last Sunday in April, I try to take part in World Pinhole Photography Day. It is an international event to promote and celebrate the art of pinhole photography. These were taken in Oldbury Birmingham in the pouring rain under the canal bridge (no problems with rain drops on 'lens'!) using a home-made lens and old Fuji camera body and in the Travelodge with a unaware model.

 

Toft Bees and Butterfly

 I am a bit behind with sorting images from the garden so here is a batch from last three days of various bees and a beautiful Orange Tip Butterfly taken in various light conditions. The cold conditions have meant that lots of the bees are resting up and in some cases 'sleeping' clinging on to leaves etc with their strong mandibles. Here Nomada flava attached and Nomada goodeniana preparing to rest. The fourth image is N. marshamella then a selection of Andrena species

Insects in the Rain

 With the wet and cooler conditions, most of the insects were resting up on or under leaves or in the grass during the last few days just coming out with the sun. Here a selection - most identified!

Paxton Survey - Sanctuary

I did a survey of the sanctuary and the Meadow along side it on Thursday as I could't go on Saturday.Here are some of the more confiding insect and spider species - over 50 more or less identified.

Insects from Royston Heath

Here a few images from our afternoon visit to Royston Heath on Friday in a sheltered spot where there were flowering Berberis bushes and Alexander plants plus lots of nettles supporting many different species. I was pleased with the accidental capture of a beetle taking off, mating Bibio flies, Nursery spider with Crane Fly, Brown-tailed Moth caterpillars which will strip all the hawthorn bushes etc, Andrena fulva, Lygos Bug, two species of Click Beetles, Ichneumon wasp, Hawthorn Bug, Common Carder bee and Ashy Mining Bee