“Photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
The firebug, or Pyrrhocoris apterus, is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. This is a red and black coloured beautiful insect that lives in groups. The bright red colour warns birds not to eat the firebug as its gland that produces a nasty smelling substance.
Contrary to its Latin name, Pyrrhocoris apterus, that suggests that firebug is a “wingless fire bug”, the species does have wings although it is unable to fly. (In the South of Europe live relatives of the fire bugs that do fly.)
The firebug can usually be seen on Lime trees and on Mallows feeding on their seeds. The bug can be found throughout the year in clusters under these plants or walking over the ground.
I found a colony of firebugs, seen in tandem formation when mating, which can take from 12 hours up to 7 days!
– Text and photos by Mohamed Samad Imran,
@Imran_ismarbaan
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