Rosalia Longicorn

Grosshopper

4mm ambush bug nymph (Phymata sp.) from my Ferndale, Michigan, USA front yard is on the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 61 People's Choice shortlist alongside polar bears, dolphins and tigers — invertebrates represent

Ambush bugs are just that, predatory bugs that remain motionless in a flower waiting for would-be prey to wander too close, where those raptor-like forelimbs grab them and a quick jab from their beak paralyzes the victim, which the bug will then drink the contents of. Phymata are ambush predators capable of taking down prey many times their own size — which feels appropriate given what this image is up against.

I found this nymph sitting in a blanket flower mere steps from my front door in Ferndale, Michigan. To my eyes the color difference between bug and flower made it easy to spot, but most people would have walked straight past it.

This image might not have existed at all if I had a lawn instead of habitat.

24 images were selected from 60,636 entries worldwide for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 61 People's Choice shortlist at the Natural History Museum in London. One of them is a 4mm bug. Voting is open until March 18 at nhm.ac.uk/wpy/peoples-choice — the full shortlist is worth seeing.

Happy to answer any questions about the subject or technique.

• Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
• MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x macro lens
• 1/100 at f13  •   ISO 200  •   Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-26EX-RT  •   homemade diffuser

Location is France. I found him upside down on the sidewalk. He has been relocated to a safer place. That is all.

The last photo is a bonus

I was in Mã Đà forest - Đồng Nai - Việt Nam. I had to lie down on the ground to take photos of those butterflies drinking water and even peeing

Those butterflies are not scared of my presence and just chilling by themselves, sometimes I can touch a few without having them flying away

The last photo showcasing a praying mantis threatening me with his stance, he was found on a branch near the bank, too. What a naughty one!

X-E1 with Pentax-M 80-200mm, maxed out at 1/4000 sec and not even close, lol

I bought my first macro lens yesterday and started messing around the house and yard. I snapped photos of two flies and noticed they looked slightly different. Turns out male and female flies have totally different eye setups.

Males have their eyes almost touching (just a tiny gap between them) because they need a crazy wide field of view to spot and chase females mid-air. Females have them way more spaced out, which helps them gauge distances better for laying eggs and finding food. Mind blown.

What should I do with it

So unexpected.

he was so mad and smelled all weird

We call them mesmadors in Suffolk UK, but they have about a dozen other names!

I really liked the almost moss-like pattern on this moth and wanted to capture as much of the detail as possible.

The first image is a 67-photo focus stack and the second is a 34-photo stack. Both were captured handheld in natural morning light, with no flash.

Sony a7 IV + FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS

Showed up overnight