Cardinal Beetle

http://wp.me/pieTR-e3
I found this cardinal beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis) recently and was charmed not only by its attractive appearance but also by its behavior. Aha, thinks I, here is a glorious focus stack opportunity! But Wolsey (as I’ve called him) had other ideas. A highly active visual predator (look at those eyes!) it didn’t attempt to run away, but it was clearly very interested in the lens being thrust in its direction, bobbing its head up and down to get a better look and waggling its antennae at me. Consequently, the back end of my focus stack was solid, but the front end looked like a multi-headed monster with many pairs of antennae. Sigh. Maybe I’ll stick to flowers for a while…