"Stand up! Like a gnat. That's it. Like a gnat."

#gnats

This joy: a song thrush
Singing in Criftin Lane, gnats
Dancing in the sun

#haiku #spring #birdsong #songThrush #gnats

A ‘ghost’ of winter gnats appear to dance as they perform their courtship ritual in the sunshine along the River Nene. Winter gnats are one of the few insects active during the colder months, and the ‘ghost’ is made up of many thousands of males, rising and falling in the air. The courtship ritual, known as lekking, turns competitive when a female arrives and a successful pair soon drops away to mate and lay eggs in a sheltered spot.

Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

#photography
#insects
#gnats