I love insects!

They make fascinating if unpredictable subjects. I forget how many tries I have at each subject, but there's normally one that's OK. Hoverflies are great - they hang motionless in the air - until they move! Hummingbird hawkmoths on the other hand, hover for a second and then they're off! This is a hoverfly in full stop.

Hoverflies are one of the major garden friends - their larvae feed on aphids. This next photo is of a hoverfly laying her eggs on a honeysuckle flower smothered with aphids - a ready made buffet for her babies!

They are not too hard to catch, as long as you creep up on them delicately, they will stay motionless for ages. With hummmingbird hawkmoths on the other hand, they hover for a few seconds, and you need to focus on where you think they will be next. For the technically minded, this was taken with a Nikon D5000 and a 400mm Novoflex lens wide open (5.6) at 1/1000 sec, resting on a tripod but not fixed.