Monday 12 April 2010

I Have No Time To Stand And Stare...................

.............but I do it anyway!   Each day I promise myself that I will catch up with the work left over from the day before, but then the sun rises on another beautiful day, and all my promises are forgotten.  

Today I went for a brisk walk, or at least it was supposed to be one.  It is easy to walk briskly when the wind harries you from all directions, and the warmth and shelter of a house seems like an attractive proposition, but when the day is calm, and gentle, it seems only right that I should mirror its mood.  I started to saunter within minutes of beginning the walk, and a half hour walked turn into an hour and a half.   How could I pass by that delicate cobweb that glistened with the diamond dew drops?  I had to stand and stare, and admire its beauty! And then there were the translucent wings on the sapphire-backed fly: such exquisiteness on such a maligned little creature, a charm that is missed without a macro lens or a magnifying glass.  I came to the shimmering sheet of yellow Lesser Celandine and sat on the ground to get a better view.  The sun warmed my back and made that small section of the world appear golden.  In the distance skylarks sang their beautiful melody.  Ah, such bliss!  

And then, treasure of all treasures, I spotted an Oil Beetle!  I had been trying to photograph this little chap for years without success, and there he was, near the top of a bank in good view.  Lots of photos were an essential item -  not that I hadn't taken lots already, but you know how it is when obsession takes over! :-)  He is such an interesting beetle: the female lays thousands of tiny eggs in holes and cracks on the ground.  Eventually these eggs hatch out into larvae with long legs.  The larvae then climb over plants and await their victim: a wild bee.  The only larvae that survive will be the ones that manage to find a host.  They will be taken back to the wild bees nest and will devour the eggs and grubs, and eventually the store of honey, once they have changed into grubs themselves.  They overwinter as headless, legless maggots, then once again change shape before finally pupating.  The adults eat buttercup plants and can be seen on heaths and open grassland. 

Isn't he a beauty?


All pleasant days have to come to an end, and as dusk fell, the cry of my husband could be heard ringing out loud and clear: "What the hell have you been doing all day, or should I say not doing!"






5 comments:

  1. ok Kerry back on the lap top and all is fine. nice one of the beetle and interesting commentary all we need now is one of its larve and grub. got a few damsels and dragons today but not posted them yet. with all the probs with firefox so look in on the dragons tomorrow.
    ps hope you made it up with your man.

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  2. Oh my dear friend! :-) Our hearts are linked 'across the pond' as reflected in our writings this day... yours far more eloquent and enhanced through your amazing photography but linked hearts still beat in synchronicity this fine spring day! And echoed by Kahlil Gibran:

    "You shall not fold your wings that you may pass through doors, nor bend your heads that they strike not against a ceiling, nor fear to breathe lest walls should crack and fall down.
    You shall not dwell in tombs made by the dead for the living.
    And though of magnificence and splendour, your house shall not hold your secret nor shelter your longing.
    For that which is boundless in you abides in the mansion of the sky, whose door is the morning mist, and whose windows are the songs and the silences of night."

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  3. I see you are still getting your comments deleted,

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  4. Thank you Kerry for your comment on my blog.
    I like your blog very well, the photos are very appealing. Best regards from Germany Uwe
    www.serengeti-wildlife.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely post Kerry, and fascinating to read. Quite a life that beetle goes through.

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About Me

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I live in North Wales and spend my time caring for animals, walking in the countryside, photographing nature and reading. I hope to share, in photographs and words, some of the beauty that I see. If you enjoy the photographs on this blog then you might like to take a look at my Flickr photostream. View my complete profile for links to both of my blogs.