Portraits of giant insects ... that are actually stunning close-ups of tiny creepy-crawlies

By MIKE O'BRIEN



Red alert: A stunning close-up of a fly caught up in some pink wool is an incredible example of macro-photography



Nobody really likes insects, bar a few cranks, natural historians and curious toddlers.

But these amazing images lend them the kind of pictorial beauty normally reserved for fluffy kittens.

The pictures are from the style of macro-photography where typically the finished portrait of a subject is greater than the life size.





A colourful character: The sympetrum fonscolombii, red-veined darter, a native dragonfly of southern Europe who in recent years has made his way up to the UK and Ireland



The stunning examples here capture insects not normally seen by most of us.

From a colourful dragonfly holding a raindrop between its legs to a caterpillar nestling in a flower, each picture presents a level of detail rarely seen before.

The photos were shot all over the world but one thing for sure, you wouldn't be so impressed if one of these fine subjects was making its way up for shoulder.



Sweet refreshment: A dragon fly cradles a raindrop as it perches on a branch



Just blending in: A praying mantis looks poised for a kill while right, a Leaf Katydid sits on an aloe in the Thanda Game Reserve in South Africa



Pretty in pink (with a dash of blue): The common blue butterly, the Polyommatus icarus, a Northern Hemisphere variety



Name that insect: A tight, close-up view of a white moth, and right, honey bees get to work on an orange helen's flower (Helenium) 'Sahin's Early Flowerer'



Peek-a-boo: A praying mantis and another unspecified bug play cat and mouse on a branch



Primary colours: A bright blue caterpillar with a yellow face make its way round a petal but, wait, what's that hiding in the middle of the flower ... his buddy, perhaps



Getting cozy: Seven spot ladybird, the Coccinella 7-punctata appears comfortable in a camelia



Nectar: A crab spider hugs a Campanula flower and, right, a Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum) makes light work of some Timothy grass



The great debate: Grasshoppers meet on the broad leaf of a plant to make a lot of noise together



It came from another planet: A praying mantis in her all glory



source: dailymail