Dramatic

I spent most of the day at my desk, doing financial updates and assembling the information I need to complete my tax return. This did not make me happy, and nor did the fact that every time I decided to take a break and walk around the garden in search of insects, it promptly started raining again.

Of the few bugs I eventually managed to find and photograph, this Hawthorn Shieldbug gave me by far the best photo opportunity. Having tapped it down out of one of the birch trees, I put it onto a leaf of the large Crown Princess Margareta rose that grows nearby and took a few record shots, then left it alone and went in search of other things. When I next passed the rose I noticed that the shieldbug was exploring up and down the stem, so I kept half an eye on it while continuing my hunt, and after a while it reached this dead flower head and settled. 

The scene was a little too high up for comfort, so I had to fetch a hop-up step to get the shot, but as soon as I framed this image I could see how well the Hawthorn Shieldbug had chosen its perch in terms of colour coordination, and how nicely both subjects were set off by the dark interior of the shrub border. I do like a bit of drama, and even though I spent much of the day almost catatonic with boredom, this moment made me very happy indeed.

R: C5, D20