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Dan Tunstall Pedoe
Dan Tunstall Pedoe has contributed many excellent pictures to Space For Nature. His insect subjects include many often encountered in the garden.
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Dan was a keen teenage photographer who at the age of 17 had photographs of a whirlwind published in Amateur Photographer and Weather journal. Now retired from medicine his passion for photography has been revitalised with an interest in the drama of macro photography of insects, and other invertebrates using close up lenses for some shots and often flash to freeze motion. He finds digital photography a revelation - no smelly chemicals or dust and scratches on negatives and ideal for candid insect photos where there can be hundreds of 'duff' shots for each good one.
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Email at Space for Nature:
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| | | | Gallery | |
 | Toad
Magnificent toad (Bufo bufo) which turned up in the photographer's porch.
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 | Bloody-nose beetles
The bloody nose beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) gets its name from its habit of emitting a foul blood-like substance from its mouth when it feels threatened. Quite common over much of Britain - particuarly in the south.
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 | Cardinal beetle
There are several species of cardinal beetles - most with this wonderful red colouration and the distinctive antennae.
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 | Harlequin ladybird
Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis). This is a very variable species as you may confirm by looking at other pictures in this gallery.
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 | Harlequin ladybird
A good view of the 'face' of a Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) showing the distinctive 'W' mark - though this varies considerably from one insect to another.
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 | Harlequin ladybird
The harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) is a recent immigrant to the UK from the continent where it has been introduced in order to control some crop pests. The beetle is causing a lot of concern because it out-competes and even eats our native species.
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 | Female stag beetle
The jaws of the female stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) are shorter than the huge 'antlers' of the male, but more powerful for that.
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 | Garden bumblebee in flight
This excellent shot of a garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) in flight shows the pattern of stripes on the thorax and abdomen particularly well. Notice particuarly the two yellow stripes on the thorax.
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 | Hovering dronefly
Good head-on shot of a hovering dronefly (Eristalis sp.). Notice the eyes meet at the top of the head indicating a male.
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 | Sun fly
The sun fly hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus).
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 | Hummingbird hawkmoth at buddleia
A great shot of a hummingbird hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum) here feeding in typical fashion at a buddleia (Buddleja davidii).
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 | Hornet moth
A beautiful Hornet moth (Sesia apiformis) photographed by Dan close to some poplar trees in his Suffolk garden. This conservation status of this moth is Nationally Scarce (B) and it just underlines that interesting animals can turn up in gardens.
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 | Hornet with prey
Like all other social wasps, hornets (Vespa crabro) catch live prey and masticate it before feeding it to the developing larvae back at the nest. This one has caught another insect and is beginning the process of chewing it up.
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 | Digger wasp
Digger wasps belong to the family Sphecidae and can be distinguished from their cousins the social wasps - family Vespidae - by several characters: particularly noticeable are the wings held flat over the back (like a hoverfly) whereas social wasps wings have longitudinal folds in them when held at rest.
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 | Honey bee at Weigela
Dan describes this as 'a lucky shot of a honey bee (Apis melifera) flying to a Weigela'.
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 | Baby spiders
Baby spiders (species unknown) in a nursery web.
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 | Nursery web spider with gorse shieldbug
Dan writes of this nursery web spider (Pisaura miabilis) and gorse shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus), "It seemed to be a stand off. I went back several times and when I next looked the spider was on its own so I presume the shield bug got away".
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