Aphids are a garden pest; they feed by sucking the sap of plants and exude a sticky fluid called honeydew that encourages fungal growth. They are unusual among insects in giving birth to live young called nymphs, which look like miniature versions of their mothers.
I’m always on the lookout for interesting plants that might make good subjects for my style of photography, and the Malvern Spring Show is one of those horticultural events that provides plenty of inspiration. This year was I was attracted by the Gold Medal winning display of cacti from Southfield Nurseries. These are exactly the sorts of plants that have the patterns, textures and colours that can be explored with my macro lenses.
While I love gardening, I think it’s only fair to say that my main motivation is in having access to interesting and photogenic plants so that I can photograph them at the best. We seem to be in the mid-May rainy season at the moment, but I took advantage of a brief sunny spell to photograph a couple of plants.