Beautiful Lady

I'd been up at Bourton on the Water this afternoon supporting Number 1 husband in the World Sporting Shooting where he wanted a few pictures taken in the target shoot, but called it a day as the heavens opened. Black skies and torrential rain is not the best scenario for shooting those shots and balancing a brolly!!

Came home to dog walking and bright intermittent sunlight!

Until I started blipping I had never been up close and personal with crickets and grasshoppers. They always seemed a bit drab and jumpy. This one looked rather like a dead leaf ... then ...the sun came out and wow, did she look amazing! So many colours and shiny shapes with a huge ovipositor at the back which she kept pointing in my direction. Would she turn round? No, not having any of it. Her mate was only a foot away, very very dead leaf but with a stunning lime green edge to his exoskeleton (I do love google - for that read body armour) - so well disguised against the nettles!

I really don't know how I can have unappreciated these little things for so long! The camera on the other hand did not appreciate the rain earlier on and has started telling me off....oh dear!

Look at it larger I think