Upside Down

I took this picture primarily because I loved the contrasting colours. Then, I decided to find out what the insect was...and there went my afternoon.

After much painstaking (and fairly fruitless, it has to be said!) research, I have reached the tentative conclusion that this is an immature green shield (stink) bug.

What I love most about the picture though, is not the bug, but the way the picture manages to look as though I shot it in a lightbox.

I didn't.

This was shot outside (the white area is sky) and using only available light and the in-built flash (which went off accidentally - I don't like using flash as a rule!). The picture is also straight-out-of-camera.

I was first attracted to the tree, which was a glorious Autumnal red. Then I saw the blossom(?). Then I saw the bug.

The rest, as they say, is history!