Garden Insects

Here is a gallery of photographs I've taken of insects in the garden of my house in south Norwich, Norfolk, UK, from 2008 onwards. Macrophotography of garden insects is rewarding because it helps one appreciate the rich variety of insects found in one's own backyard; for example, the garden attracts a surprising diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (even the regional speciality, the Norfolk Hawker), and this was the case even before it had a small pond (from spring 2020). To me, garden insect photography has the further advantage that the only strange looks I get while stalking insects, camera in hand, are from my family.

All images are © Andrew Bourke. If you would like to use one, please contact me (see e-mail address on Contact page). If you think I've made a mistake in any of the identifications, please also let me know.

To enlarge any images (and see the scientific name), and/or to click through them, click on any one.

Broad-bodied Chaser, adult male	Broad-bodied Chaser, immature male
Broad-bodied Chaser, adult female	Southern Hawker, female
Southern Hawker, male	Brown Hawker, female
Brown Hawker, male	Norfolk Hawker, male
Migrant Hawker, female	Migrant Hawker, male
Emperor Dragonfly, female	Common Darter, female
Common Darter, immature male	Ruddy Darter, female
Azure Damselfly, female	Azure Damselfly, male
Blue-tailed Damselfly, immature male	Common Blue Damselfly, male
Large Red Damselfly, female	Large Red Damselfly, male
Speckled Bush-cricket, early-instar nymph (missing a hind leg)	Speckled Bush-cricket, late-instar nymph, female
Speckled Bush-cricket, adult male	Oak Bush-cricket, female
Long-winged Conehead, female nymph	Long-winged Conehead, adult female
Long-winged Conehead, adult male	Field Grasshopper, female
Field Grasshopper, male	Lesser Marsh Grasshopper
Dock Bug, adult	Dock Bug, nymph
Box Bug, adult	Box Bug, nymph
Rhopalid bug	Ant Damsel Bug, nymph
Mirid bug	Mirid bug
Mirid bug	Mirid bug
Mirid bug	Mirid bug
Mirid bug	Hawthorn Shieldbug
Hairy Shieldbug	Woundwort Shieldbug
Crucifer Shieldbug	Green Shieldbug, adult
Green Shieldbug, nymph	Forest Shieldbug, dark form
Gorse Shieldbug, spring form	Pied Shieldbug
Lupin Aphid	Eared Leafhopper
Issid planthopper	Small Skipper
Essex Skipper	Large Skipper, male
Orange Tip, male	Large White
Green-veined White	Brown Argus, male
Holly Blue, female	Common Blue, male
Small Copper	Small Tortoiseshell
Peacock	Comma
Red Admiral	Painted Lady
Speckled Wood	Ringlet
Meadow Brown	Hedge Brown, male
Box Tree Moth	Micromoth
Green Longhorn Moth, male	Longhorn micromoth, male
Elephant Hawk-moth, caterpillar	Red-tipped Clearwing
Currant Clearwing, female	Silver Y
Hoverfly, female	Hoverfly (hornet/wasp mimic), male
Hoverfly (hornet mimic), female	Hoverfly (bumble bee mimic, white-tailed form), male
Hoverfly (bumble bee mimic, red-tailed form), female	Narcissus Fly (bumble bee mimic, brown form)
Narcissus Fly (bumble bee mimic, banded and red-tailed form)	Narcissus Fly (bumble bee mimic, black and red-tailed form)
Narcissus Fly (bumble bee mimic, banded and buff-tailed form)	Hoverfly, male
Hoverfly, female	Hoverfly, male
Hoverfly, female	Hoverfly, male
Hoverfly	Hoverfly, female
Hoverfly, male	Hoverfly, male
Drone Fly, female	Hoverfly
Hoverfly, female	Hoverfly, female
Hoverfly, male	Hoverfly, female
Hoverfly, female	Anthomyiid fly
Miltogrammine fly, male	Muscid fly, female
Muscid fly, male	Muscid fly
Bee-fly (bumble bee mimic)	Soldier-fly
Little Snipe-fly, male	Black Snipe-fly, female
Black Snipe-fly, male	Tephritid fly
Celery Fly	White Bryony Berry-fly
Tephritid fly	Tephritid fly
Tephritid fly, male	Greenbottle
Empidid fly	Robber-fly
Robber-fly	Robber-fly, female
Common Awl Robber-fly, female	Common Awl Robber-fly, male
Crane fly	Tachinid fly
Tachinid fly	Tachinid fly
Flesh Fly	Yellow Dung Fly
Conopid fly	Stilt-legged fly
Common Stiletto Fly	Sawfly
Sawfly	Sawfly, larvae
Yellow Lawn Ant, workers and larvae	Black Garden Ant, swarming males
Red Ant, worker	Parasitoid wasp
Parasitoid wasp	Ruby-tail Wasp
Digger wasp	Digger wasp, female
Digger wasp, female	Bee-wolf (hunting wasp), female
Common Wasp, worker	Tawny Mining Bee, female
Flower bee, female	Flower bee, male
Ivy Bee, female	Pantaloon Bee, female
Pantaloon Bee, male	Leaf-cutter bee, female
Leaf-cutter bee, male	Red Mason Bee, female
Garden Bumble Bee, worker	Tree Bumble Bee, worker
Red-tailed Bumble Bee, worker	Red-tailed Bumble Bee, male
Common Carder (Bumble) Bee, worker	Early Bumble Bee, worker
Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, worker	Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, queen
Cuckoo Bumble Bee, female	Cuckoo Bumble Bee, male
Honey Bee, worker	Cleptoparasitic bee, female
Carrion beetle	Welsh Chafer
Garden Chafer	Ten-spot Ladybird
Cream-spot Ladybird	Seven-spot Ladybird
Harlequin Ladybird	Harlequin Ladybird, larva
Pine Ladybird	Fourteen-spot Ladybird
Twenty-two-spot Ladybird	Rosemary Leaf Beetle
Weevil	Apple Fruit Weevil
Weevil	Lily Beetle
Common Malachite	Thick-legged Flower Beetle, male
Soldier beetle	Black-tipped Soldier Beetle
Red-headed Cardinal Beetle	Wasp Beetle
Longhorn beetle	Black-and-yellow Longhorn Beetle
Longhorn beetle	Black-striped Longhorn Beetle, female