Queen of the Bollard – Yellow Ladybug
The bollard is a post of old weathered wood bordering the car park at one of the places I go. It is one of many and all are home to some creatures, such as Grasshoppers, Spiders, Ants and so on. This one is dominated by Ladybugs.
I tracked this one around the wood for a few shots. It shows some character in its activities and postures. The things it does, such as cleaning its forelegs, stretching its wings, sitting still, eating and rearing up for no apparent reason imply an inner life rarely attributed to insects.
But why not? These wonderful colourful animate creatures are no less created than you or I. Just differently so, they don’t think – are not separate from what they are – their psycho physical reality.
Where we differ is in the ability to discern a spiritual reality, an origionating being behind the appearance. Though it doesn’t seem to have served us, the race, at all well. It seems so.
But then the species, the whole lot, doesn’t really flower on this plane of being, in existence, that I can see. This is where we die.
Flowering is for another place, inside, behind sense.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click any picture and click again to enlarge
Nature's Place 
Lol Mark, I hate to tell you the only bug I seen in my garden lately are the wasps, not to mention they attack too, lol. So I will postpone the mimicking behavior assignment until I come across something decent, lol, otherwise, there is potential to be declared insane if I behave like a wasp and someone sees me, but I am sure Matthew would have a blast. Thanks for the suggestion, hope all is well otherwise. Anna :)
((: No need to mimic, just focus on the observed until the observer stops thinking. No doubt Matthew will have a go. ((:
All the best. M
Thanks Sam, Jamyun and Jenn, glad you liked …
Mark, very interesting thoughts with this post. Not to mention excellent collection of the lady bug, lol, I always thought that there only one type, red one with black dots. Well, sometimes I wish I was a bug too, the world would be less complicated, lol. Thanks for sharing your interesting thoughts again. Anna :)
Hi Anna. There are many Ladybug colour patterns. Well, you can be a bug too. Just go in the garden and find one that moves slowly and focus on the sense of it, shape, colour/s, sound, touch the leaf it’s on – all sense. When you’ve done it enough the mind, thought and emotion – that separates and divides, stops and there is only what is sensed – the bug – and you are that. No observer or observed, just what is.
Let us know how it goes. ((:
Great Mark you certainly captured her little character.Awesome insight as well, always a pleasure to read.
huhhh..i love this
Wicked shots Mark, I find lady bugs hard to photograph because they are always on the move and usually in precarious positions. I really love #1, #3 and #7, #1 for the excellent facial feature, #3 for an excellent action shot, looks like it is about to transform into something, kind of like transformers, #7 for the depth of field and composition, very pleasing angle.
Nice work Mark, as always very inspiring.
Mark, I had pleasure reading the notes associated with these images, and in a sense, was able to glimpse, momentarily, reality from the ladybug’s perspective.
“Flowering is for another place, inside, behind sense.”
Jesus often said, “The Kingdom of God is within you”.
Hi Craig. The pleasure is to be in the sense of things, without the mind getting in the way, isn’t it. It’s possible to be in the sense of things as a practise so it becomes a sub-conscious reality, eventually. Then, as many have done, it’s possible to see a world beyond this one, inside. And then you just keep going, doing what is for you to do.