Miniature marvels

I'm slowly becoming more and more enchanted by the miniature world that lies at our feet and the myriad creatures that inhabit it. I thought, then, I'd put up these three images to illustrate just how abundant and diverse is the life that we pass unnoticed every day. Each of these images was taken as I sat on the ground for half an hour or so and surveyed an area of grass and gorse around a couple of metres square. I love how, in the first shot, the Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus) is trying so hard – and succeeding – to blend in, its head and thorax looking so much like a leaf, complete with the veins. Is the second one a female in striated form or a different sub-order? Not sure. The Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) is a favourite subject; once the macro lens has worked its wonders this diminutive arachnid can appear large and threatening when it is, of course, anything but. In this shot I like the capture of the spider's web and the composition, with its strands running diagonally from top right to bottom left. Finally, the Brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) was being pursued by either a rival or a mate and was content simply to sit on the leaf while the other individual flew around it and occasionally landed close by. I have dozens of shots where the resting Brimstone is obscured by flashes of blurred yellow wings.

All shots: Canon 1Ds Mk III, Canon 100mm prime USM L-series lens