“WHILE we see the beauty in the trees and in wildlife living in nature, do we ever notice the diverse millions of species hidden behind and in between the lush carpet that is Earth? ”
For Bluff photographer and bug enthusiast, Warren Dick who spends most of his days in Stainbank Nature Reserve, crouched down and capturing the beauty of bugs that inhabit the trees and plants, the answer is an emphatic yes.
He took this SUN journalist for a slow walk as he excitedly pointed out creatures such as the spiny flower mantis and the Picasso bug. Fascinated by the colours, he explains the reasons behind the shocking colours of butterflies or why the spiny flower mantis is carefully and beautifully camouflaged as a flower. Leaving the journalist baffled as they stared hard to spot the invisible creature, Warren lets out a cheerful laugh and gently picks up the well-hidden mantis. “I get this all the time – to your eyes you see just a flower but what I see is life living on that plant,” he said, smiling. He gets lost in the moment as he takes pictures of the little mantis who seemed very comfortable on Warren’s hand and in front of the camera.
Since he was a child, Warren was always intrigued by bugs and as he grew older he found a love in photography. “My dad bought me a camera a few years back and so I decided to merge both my love for nature and bugs and photography into what I can say is my life,” he said.
With the heat pounding on them, they stop and noticed another strange looking creature. “If you go near this bug you will be in for a stinky surprise,” he laughed. “But being in nature is great, it’s something we all need to experience just to get away from the hustle and bustle of Durban,” he said spotting another mantis and picked up. “I’ve been coming here for years with my parents and I notice most people will walk past shrubs and don’t really pay attention to the eco-system within that shrub,” he added.
Besides photography being a hobby, he relishes the opportunity to bring awareness of conservancy and to respect nature and its creatures. “We are missing so much and the thing is everything on this Earth is loaned to us by God and to honour Him we need to protect and respect Mother Nature.”
Like Warren Dick on Facebook to view more of his photography taken at the Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve: https://www.facebook.com/WkDickPhotography/?ref=br_rs&pnref=lhc
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