Shieldbug in the pink

Lord Vetinari

Gorse shieldbug feeding on some sugar/honey syrup on a camellia flower. 5Dmk2/MPE-65/430Ex flash, all focus stacked using zerene.

Brian V.

denisegoldberg

These are all beautiful! The last shot is my favorite - I feel like the bug is looking at me.

Cavalier

Love the colors in the first shot but they are all amazing. If it's eyes are where I think they are, my first thought was that they bulge out without protection - my ignorance of insect anatomy.

kurzvorzwoelf

Stunning shots, Brian. I agree with @Cavalier on the colors of the first image, very well balanced and smooth. On numbers #2 and #3, there might be a little too much greenish distraction on the right to fully enjoy the otherwise great details of the bug.

Lord Vetinari

@denisegoldberg said:
These are all beautiful! The last shot is my favorite - I feel like the bug is looking at me.

@Cavalier said:
Love the colors in the first shot but they are all amazing. If it's eyes are where I think they are, my first thought was that they bulge out without protection - my ignorance of insect anatomy.

@kurzvorzwoelf said:
Stunning shots, Brian. I agree with @Cavalier on the colors of the first image, very well balanced and smooth. On numbers #2 and #3, there might be a little too much greenish distraction on the right to fully enjoy the otherwise great details of the bug.

Thanks all for the comments - appreciated

Jo the main compound eyes are the ones on the side of the head - they are slightly protected by the line of the body. There is another pair of eyes, the ocelli, which are the red dots on top of the head - these are simple eyes.