A continuation of the smaller things up close.
I have been struck by the variety of butterflies, beetles, bees and more here in Northern Italy in a way that I haven’t noticed before. The garden here is made up of a semi-wild, hybrid lawn with two small rectangles of land allocated for a veggie patch and a wild meadow, supporting an abundant insect population. There have been a couple of hair raising moments when iridescent, scarab beetles bomb their way towards me with as much agility as a 10-tonne lorry, but otherwise seeing such a menagerie of small creatures going about pollinating the veggie patch and other wild flowers brings me much joy and has cultivated a great deal of respect for them and a desire to nurture and protect.
Have you recently seen the natural world in a different light and documented them up close? Feel free to share your photos in the comment section below – I’d love to see what you have to share.











