Close encounter with a forest master beetle

Meet Trypocopris vernalis, also known as the spring dor beetle — one of the true “masters” of the forest floor. Yesterday, while exploring a beautiful larch and pine forest near Rijen and Oosterhout (the Surea area) with my wife, I spotted this little armored worker quietly making its way through the moss. The day was grey and moody, but a brief ray of sunlight broke through — just enough to bring out that deep black sheen that makes these beetles so mesmerizing up close.

This shot was taken with my Canon 7D Mark II and the Canon MP-E 65mm super macro lens at 5× magnification — a lens that truly lets you dive into another world. At this distance, even a beetle’s face feels monumental. You can see the fine texture of its exoskeleton, this time no grains of forest soil clinging to it, and even the subtle reflection of the forest canopy above.

Scientifically speaking, Trypocopris vernalis plays a vital role in the ecosystem. It’s a dung beetle — recycling nutrients, aerating soil, and quite literally keeping the forest clean. A quiet little hero beneath our feet.

#TrypocoprisVernalis #BeetlePhotography #MacroPhotography #SuperMacro #Canon7DMarkII #CanonMPE65mm #ForestMaster #MacroWorld #WildlifeMacro #NaturePhotography #ByMaikelPhotography #DutchNature #Oosterhout #Rijen #Surea #MossForest #LarchForest #InsectPhotography #MacroDetails #CloseUpPhotography #WildlifeLovers #EcoPhotography #Biodiversity #DungBeetle #NatureStory #InsectWorld #MicroWorld #CanonMacro #NaturalBalance #WildlifeConservation #InTheForest #MacroArt #NatureCloseUp #PhotoStory #NatureLovers #FieldPhotography #MacroMagic #WildlifeMacroPhotography #CanonEurope #ForestEcosystem #TinyWorld

L’amour véritable ne cherche rien pour lui-même. Il s’ouvre simplement, comme une fleur, à la lumière de la vie.
Dans la douceur de chaque pétale se révèle la compassion — non comme une idée, mais comme une respiration silencieuse reliant tous les êtres.
Quand le cœur s’apaise, même une simple fleur devient un maître. 🌸

True love asks for nothing in return. It simply opens, like a flower, to the light of life.
Within the softness of each petal lies compassion — not as a thought, but as a silent breath connecting all beings.
When the heart becomes still, even a single flower becomes a teacher. 🌸
#macro #macrophotography #proxymacro #flowers #flowerphotography #naturemacro #macrodetails #floralbeauty #closeup #fineartmacro #naturelovers #softlight #bokehlover #macroartistry #botanicalart #macrovision #quietmoments #creativevision #mindfulphotography

Wings of glass

#dragonfly #macrodetails #blackandwhitephotography #naturecloseup #insectphotography #wildlifeinspiration #monochromeart #naturedetails

Echoes of Life

#MonochromeNature #BWPhotography #LeafDecay #FadingLife #NatureInBlackAndWhite #OrganicPatterns #LifeAndDeath #SeasonsPassing #NatureAbstract #MacroDetails #LeafArt #NaturalTextures #BWMacro #WitheringBeauty #BotanicalArt #VeinsOfLife #NatureContrast #BWCloseup #BeautyInDecay #MonochromeMagic

Morning Jewels – Dew, Webs & Wildflowers at Regte Heide

Yesterday’s early walk on the Regte Heide wasn’t just about the sweeping landscape — it was also about the quiet, intricate wonders revealed on my way back. With the sun slowly rising behind me, the morning dew settled like a gentle veil over everything — from spider webs to flower buds, grasses, and seed heads.

Armed with my Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens, I focused in. The Calluna vulgaris (common heather) had just begun to bloom — visible in the first and fifth photos. In the second, a European garden spider (Araneus diadematus) sits patiently in its dew-covered web, each droplet catching light like tiny crystals.

Photo three reveals seeding grass, delicate and fragile. The fourth features a dew-dusted thistle. Then come two species I identified later with Google Lens: Chamaenerion angustifolium (wilgenroosje) in the sixth shot and Lonicera periclymenum ‘Belgica’ (boskamperfoelie) in the seventh.

And finally — a glance outward again. My Canon 7D Mark II with the Sigma 100–400mm lens captured the distant skyline of my hometown, Tilburg, as seen from the edge of the heather fields.

In every drop and bloom, nature whispers its detail. We just need to slow down and look.

#regteheide #morningdew #macrophoto #canon5dmarkiii #canonmpe65 #canon7dmarkii #sigma100400 #heidebloei #araneusdiadematus #dewcovered #wildflowers #natuurmoment #tilburgview #earlymorningwalk #boskamperfoelie #wilgenroosje #nederlandsenatuur #landschapsfotografie #macrodetails #floweringheath #dewphotography #natuurfotografie #herbaceousplants #dutchlandscape #macroexploration #urbanhorizon #quietnature #biodiversity #wildplantsoftheday #hiddenbeauty

In the Gaze of the Damselfly

#photography #canon

#macrophotography #damselfly #insectmacro #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #macroshot #macro_perfection #macro_magic #closeupnature #insectlovers #macronature #bugslife #macro_creature_feature #wildlife_macro #macroinsect #naturelovers #macrodetails #closeupshot #insect_perfection #entomologylove