09 Mar, 2009

The insect's yellow and black colouring can be clearly seen in the morning light.

On our first filming day in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Reserve, in South Africa, we explored the area at midday and came upon a number of brightly coloured beetles feeding on a flowering hibiscus shrub.

We decided to return there this morning to film them at sunrise.
Unfortunately, the cloud cover was fairly thick at daybreak, so the light condition was not as good as we'd hoped.

However, we managed to catch the beetles awakening to a new day as the sun shone occasionally between breaks in the cloud.

In the early morning light, the colours and textures of these CMR bean beetles (Mylabris oculata) really stood out.

The CMR beetle is named after the Cape Mounted Rifles, since the beetle's colouring matches the unit's regimental colours.

Watching them stretching, cleaning themselves, then finding a flower upon which to feed, we could almost hear the bugle call for reveille.

– by Gavin Forrester, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch

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