“Just off down the garden to look for a photo,” I said. “I won’t be long, and I’ll finish off the casserole as soon as I get back.”
I think R may have responded with a slight snort, but it’s equally possible that I imagined this out of a guilty awareness of my domestic shortcomings. It wouldn’t have been even slightly out of character for me to become immersed in my bug hunt and forget about everything else, suddenly remember an hour or so later, rush back flustered and apologetic, admit that I’d now left it too late to prepare a proper meal, and suggest cheese sandwiches instead. Luckily, today was not that day.
This Viburnum x juddii stands at the apex of a large semi-circular rose bed, about thirty yards from the house, and you pivot around it to get to the aucuba (usually good for a basking bee or hoverfly) and the secret garden. Imagine my surprise when my pivot brought me smack up against this Southern Hawker, who was hanging on the viburnum at chin height and calmly minding his own business. Horrified at having accidentally approached so close and so fast, and scared that he’d take fright and fly, I threw my bum into reverse and backed up a few feet, before cautiously raising the camera. But unlike me the dragon kept his composure, and he completely ignored me for the next five minutes as I shot him (with mounting confidence and efficiency) from different ranges and angles. I then whisked around the rest of the garden before returning to my casserole, and when I passed the viburnum again he was still resting peacefully in the same spot.
I’ve chosen this close-up portrait to give you a good view of his extraordinary eyes. I’d love you to look at it full-screen, if you have the time.
R: C3, D18.
