Wild Photo Competiton win The Wild Life or Wild Drugs

[dready sam]

i only joined today but i can't resist a photo comp :)

[Shirley]

Welcome - great photos! I especially like the first one.

[MuddyWitch]

welcome to ISH

Stunning photos too!

MW

[dready sam]

thanks shirley & muddywitch :)

[Shirley]

[Silver Ether]

oooooooh I like him ...

[Christine]

My word - there are some spectacular photos on here. I especially like Silver Ether's - but that might be partly the Esme Weatherwax quote (Pratchett fan) and the snail looks positively noble!

I spent a ridiculous amount of time photographing the frenetic activity of ladybirds among my blackfly-infested broad beans. Unfortunately, the macro setting on my rather basic camera doesn't allow really close focusing (and I didn't have a tripod with me), but all I've done to this one is crop it.

Overwhelmed by the enemy, ladybirds do their patriotic best to summon reinforcements....

love among the blackfly.JPG (80.96 KiB) Viewed 6758 times

Thanks to Maggie for teaching me how to show the image and not just the filelink

[Millymollymandy]

I found this on the ground a few weeks back (sadly ). The outside is woven together with, amongst other things, the tail hair from my neighbour's chestnut and black mares and tatty feathers from my ducks, and the interior has wool from the sheep across the road and my ducks' down! I love the lichen on it. It is so warm and snuggy I want one for winter! If anyone knows what kind of bird makes this nest please let me know - it probably fell out of a conifer tree.

[Thomzo]

Wow, that nest is so pretty, you could almost use it as a Christmas decoration. (Ooops sorry, forgot you hate the C word at this time of year).

Zoe

[Millymollymandy]

hee hee, actually you're right Zoe but I think it might be a bit dried out by then.

[Catalysthere]

Just saw this beauty by the back door & had to share it!!

[Bromd123]

i think its quite clear i need to invest in a better camera lol

[Christine]

I'm a bit embarrassed to be adding yet another picture of sexual congress - at least I think that's what is going on. The larger bee is a serious size - over an inch long (though I didn't think to put something by them as a benchmark - d-oh) and the smaller one is attached to her at the tail, and there's a lot of throbbing going on. The smaller bee appears to be dead - but perhaps it's just very, very still. They are on the outside of my windowsill

Just found this site http://www.bumblebee.org/lifeMate.htm with a similar picture of Bombus Lapidarius mating. The male hangs on and injects a waxy plug into the female so that no other males can mate with her for up to three days

[Shirley]

i think its quite clear i need to invest in a better camera lol

the best camera is the one you have with you (someone said that but I can't remember who!) - it's true.

[deb13b]

Not a brilliant photo, taken with my iPhone. BUT I HAD A BUTTERFLY ON MY HAND !!!!!!
Lol sorry for shouting, we hardly get any butterflies in my little yard.