The autumn air has a special clarity and the sunlight a special golden quality. At this time of the year butterflies and other insects are particularly noticeable.

Several insects caught my eye today, not in my garden but in a garden we visited in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands countryside. Here are some of the photographs I took today.

Butterfly Gaudy Commodore

A Gaudy Commodore living up to its name

Chafer Beetle

A Chafer Beetle glinting in the autumn sunshine

Dragonfly

A Dragonfly against the blue, blue sky

Damselfly

A delicate Damselfly, far less robust than the Dragonfly pictured above

My encounter with the Flower Mantids last week has led me to pay more attention to flowering shrubs, and when out with my camera today I was pleasantly surprised to find a diversity of insects in a small stretch of space and time.

Many of us tend to rush about a lot for much of each and every day, and in our busyness perhaps miss more than we find. Paradoxically, by sitting quietly we may find meaning we were not consciously looking for, and by focussing our awareness we may broaden our horizons and deepen our appreciation of life.

Autumn leaves

Posted by Carol

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