At first glance, this is a bee… or a wasp…
One advantage of photography is being able to get close to the subject. Using the correct lens (a “macro” lens is best for closeups) can reveal detail and give unexpected information.
It turned out to be a hoverfly. My subject moved to the next rose, settled down and posed perfectly.
Look at the detail in the wings. Almost like leaded glass, yet tiny and fragile. Minute claws at the end of tiny legs. Multi-faceted eyes. The familiar yellow and black colouration, here for camouflage rather than warning of a dangerous sting. These insects are vital in the role of pollinators, but have neither aggression nor the ability to manufacture honey. Looking like a wasp is a good way of not being bothered!
Close examination of “ordinary” things reveals much. What about self-examination? Especially in a season of troubles and anxiety?
One of the lesser-known prophets in the Bible is Haggai. He brought a message to a people who were asking why life was not matching expectations. Perhaps we, too, need to look closely at ourselves and our society…
Now therefore, says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.” Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways!” Haggai 5 v1-7
Look closer. We must consider our ways. Who knows what we will see? I’m pretty sure that the positive changes we all would like to see begin with me.
The Reflectionary 