A mass of pale fluffy white and pale pink – thistledown, with the ghost of a couple of the thistle seed heads at the bottom of the frame. Seemingly suspended in the dreamy white mist (and yet actually standing on the soft downy seeds) is a long, slim orange beetle with long antennae and dark eyes. It’s slightly turned to us, as if caught in mid wander.
“What you want ?” it seems to say.
This is the Common Red Soldier Beetle – also know as the Bonking Beetle. Because this time of year they are somewhat social, shall we say. This one seemed to be minus a date at that particular moment though.
I tracked it for ages on a thistle that was blowing madly in the wind. I lost it in the viewfinder countless times. It was beetling about very determinedly. But then the wind dropped and it just so happened to be looking right at me for a split second – or seemed to be anyway.
Soft of Sight Photography 