Insects? Beautiful? What?! This is the typical reaction from most people when “beautiful” and “insects” are used in the same sentence but honestly, if you take a close look, there are plenty of beautiful insects in southern Texas, and a lot of them are out there in the garden.
Their small size makes it easy to overlook the colors and patterns shown by insects but take a close look and you just might be amazed. Recently, I did some work with a macro lens on insects that were visiting flowers and it was an eye-opening experience.
This jewl-like creature is a Green Sweat Bee.
The Green Sweat Bee doesn’t sting and it doesn’t make honey. This solitary bee species collects pollen and nectar and has brilliant shining emerald green colors.
Another look at a Green Sweat Bee.
Various beetles also visit flowers and several of them show shades of yellow, black, red, and other colors.
A striking black and yellow beetle visits a flower.
This red insect was sitting on a leaf.
The macro lens even let me get a close look at the face!
I thought that this pale insect species also showed an interesting pattern.
I didn’t have to go far to look for interesting insects either. Although some look pretty average when seen with the naked eye, up close, most of them show exquisite details.
Even common grasshoppers look extraordinary when seen at close range.
Another close view of a grasshopper.
There are also caterpillars to see.
Do you know what this will turn into? Please say so in the comments!
Other wasp and bee species also showed up at the flowers.
A wasp species visits a flower.
The next time you visit a wildlife refuge or your own garden, take a close look at the insects that come to the flowers and hide in the foliage. You might be surprised at what you find!