I almost forgot about the stunning insect photos I captured during my visit to Merlin’s Hollow English garden earlier this month. As I’ve mentioned before, the garden never fails to surprise me. This year, I found myself immersed in a completely new world – the mesmerizing world of insect macro photography.

I remember a time when all the birds I encountered seemed indistinguishable from one another. But that changed once I got a birding book, a camera, and a photo lens. Now, I find myself in a similar position with insects, especially bees and flies. Thanks to my macro lens, I can truly appreciate the unique features of each insect.

As I stood there, camera in hand, capturing the intricate details of these insects, I overheard a conversation nearby. Although I may have been eavesdropping, I wasn’t trying to hide. The conversation was between a woman visiting the garden and a man named David Tomlinson.

I’m not entirely sure who the woman was referring to, but it seemed like she might have been talking about her son. She appeared a bit disappointed, as if she didn’t fully support his aspiration to become a farmer after graduating from university. In that moment, I found myself without a specific subject to photograph, so I turned to her and jokingly said, “Believe me, after graduating from university, we all want to become farmers.”

“Why, did you go to university?” – she asked. “Yes, many years ago and why – because it is very stressful, and it does not get any better because some of the jobs become very demanding.” And then Mr. Tomlinson added “or go to university to get a job to support your farm.” “Exactly” – I nodded.

Speaking of farming, I’d like to share my latest discovery – the Open Source Ecology project. You can watch the video here to learn more about this innovative initiative by Marcin Jakubowski. The project serves as an excellent example of how one can apply their degree effectively, especially in the field of farming.

There are approximately 10,000 bird species in the world, and it’s highly unlikely that anyone has seen them all. In the last bird book I read, the author documented over 3,000 species. When it comes to insects, the number is even more staggering, with millions of species yet to be identified. The sheer diversity of the natural world is truly awe-inspiring.

While I was photographing a bug, Mr. Tomlinson asked what I was pointing at. I showed him, and he mentioned how he would love to identify all the insects in his garden. “But then there are so many,” he said. “Just searching for their names could be a full-time job.”I should’ve known better. He went on to explain, “If you’re looking at a fly, you’d go to the fly section, narrowing it down to a smaller population of insects.”

Yes, he’s right. Starting with the sub-categories does make insect identification much easier. However, I’ll put off diving into the identification for now—there are just too many to tackle all at once.

So, it was time to head out. As I was snapping a few last photos, I called out to my husband, “This should be a bug garden too, there are so many of them here!” A lady on the other side of the flower bed got excited and called back, “Is this really a bug garden?” “No, no, it’s an English garden,” I replied. “Oh, okay,” she said, bowing her head, and I smiled back.

Maybe next time I’ll keep quiet—don’t want to start a rumour that never existed!

COMMENTS

Rash said: July 31, 2012 at 02:59

“Amazing macro photography. Loving all your nature and wilderness photography. I came across your website while searching for information on Mackenzie Marsh. I recently moved here so I was looking for information on places to explore nearby for some hiking and photography. I’m glad I came across your website. Beautiful pictures all around, with good amounts of information. Thank you.”