Ophion scutellaris

After a couple of hours of 'near misses' and on the way home, I suddenly found myself witnessing something I doubt I'll be lucky enough to witness again.

As Gavin Broad, one of the UK's most respected wasp experts and 'Principal curator in charge of insects at the Natural History Museum' said on confirming my species ID, "A rare treat, to see Ophion mating in the field!"

See it for yourselves:

comments (4)

Calbost Niel

Lion

Amazing observation Philip Posted 3 months ago
1. Philip Booker
  
  Lion
  
  I was lucky, because it's often impossible to film through long grass without totally losing focus, because the
  camera tends to want to focus on the nearest object/s. Posted 3 months ago

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Not just luck, Philip, I'm thinking the theme in your posts is how watchful you are. You notice things and show a keen interest and curiosity, even for the smallest creatures. Posted 3 months ago, modified 3 months ago
1. Philip Booker
  
  Lion
  
  It's one of the joys of wildlife photography, taking the time to notice the many creatures, dramas and miracles it's so easy to walk by in our deadline dominated lives.
  
  I'm aware there's still so much I miss, but that just means there's something still left to discover! Posted 3 months ago