Abruzzo’s Smaller Majority

Have no fear I’m not getting political here – I’m talking about insects, bugs and flying things.

I’m certainly no fan of zanzare (mosquitoes) although it appears they are a fan of me. But while travelling companions are off looking at castles and churches in the Abruzzo countryside I’ve been known to stay outside and see if I can capture an insect or two.

I don’t really have the camera equipment to do it properly. I’d love to capture them in flight and still their beating wings in an image but not having the skill I wait until they are resting or moving slowly on a wild flower.

Abruzzo is full of stunning scenery, magnificent churches and fantastic castles – not to mention the beautiful towns and villages, but it is also teeming with life.

I often feel that you just have to drop a seed anywhere in Abruzzo and it will grow. You can hardly go down a country lane without seeing tomatoes, olives and vines. Throw in vegetables and fruit trees just waiting to be picked and you get the feeling that a small plot is all a family needs to provide for a year.

And with this magnificent growth come insects. All shapes, all colours, all types. I recognise a few that are similar to what we have in Ireland but most are bigger, more colourful and perhaps a little scarier.

While walking around the paths near Roccascalegna (CH) I took these photos.

They may not win any prizes for insect photography but they give you an idea of what you might find if you step a little off the well trodden path.

Wasps, butterflies, beetles and a whole host of buzzing things that I couldn’t possibly name were practically posing for me of the top of wild flowers. Just as well, as otherwise I’d have had a lot more blurry shots.

Behind one of the wasp photos (the third photo) is a grey, almost regular shaped structure, taking up most of the background – that’s the castle at Roccascalegna. I’ll focus in on that on another day.

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