Garden Insect Photos | Andrew Bourke

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, 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, mature male	Broad-bodied Chaser, immature male
Southern Hawker, female	Brown Hawker, female
Migrant Hawker, female	Migrant Hawker, male
Emperor Dragonfly, female	Common Darter, female
Ruddy Darter, female	Azure Damselfly, female
Azure Damselfly, 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
Lesser Marsh Grasshopper	Dock Bug
Rhopalid bug	Mirid bug
Mirid bug	Mirid bug
Hawthorn Shieldbug	Hairy Shieldbug
Green Shieldbug	Forest Shieldbug, dark form
Pied Shieldbug	Lupin Aphid
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	Silver Y
Currant Clearwing, female	Longhorn micromoth, male
Green Longhorn Moth	Micromoth
Hoverfly	Hoverfly (hornet/wasp mimic)
Hoverfly (hornet mimic)	Hoverfly (bumble bee mimic, white-tailed form)
Hoverfly (bumble bee mimic, red-tailed form)	Narcissus Fly (bumble bee mimic, brown form)
Narcissus Fly (bumble bee mimic, banded and buff-tailed form)	Narcissus Fly (bumble bee mimic, banded and red-tailed form)
Narcissus Fly (bumble bee mimic, black and red-tailed form)	Hoverfly
Hoverfly	Hoverfly
Hoverfly	Hoverfly
Hoverfly	Drone Fly
Hoverfly	Hoverfly
Hoverfly	Hoverfly
Hoverfly	Hoverfly
Anthomyiid fly	Bee-fly (bumble bee mimic)
Soldierfly	Snipe fly
Celery Fly	White Bryony Berry-fly
Greenbottle	Robber-fly
Robber-fly, female	Common Awl Robber-fly, female
Common Awl Robber-fly, male	Crane fly
Tachinid fly	Flesh Fly
Yellow Dung Fly	Conopid fly
Tachinid fly	Common Stiletto Fly
Sawfly	Yellow Lawn Ant, workers and larvae
Black Garden Ant, swarming males	Red Ant, worker
Parasitoid wasp	Ruby-tail Wasp
Hunting wasp	Bee-wolf (hunting wasp)
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	Garden Chafer
Cream-spot Ladybird	Seven-spot Ladybird
Harlequin Ladybird	Pine Ladybird
Fourteen-spot Ladybird	Twenty-two-spot Ladybird
Rosemary Leaf Beetle	Apple Fruit Weevil
Weevil	Lily Beetle
Common Malachite	Thick-legged Flower Beetle
Black-tipped Soldier Beetle	Wasp Beetle
Black-and-yellow Longhorn Beetle	Black-striped Longhorn Beetle, female