Sometimes nature reminds you that the best moments are the ones you didn’t plan for. Last week, I set off with my wife Christel to Huis ter Heide near Tilburg, hoping for birds and landscapes in the soft early morning light. The birds were quiet, the landscapes less inspiring than I’d hoped—but the insects stole the show.

First came the hardworking Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum), captured close-up as it buried itself in a flower’s nectar. Next, a Pyrausta purpuralis, a tiny but striking moth with purple and gold tones, resting perfectly still on a leaf. Both were taken with my Canon 5D Mark III and the MP-E 65mm f/2.8 Super Macro—a lens built for the extreme close-ups that reveal details our eyes often miss.

Switching to my Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 100–400mm, I caught a vivid Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) perched near the water, and finally, a Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria) warming itself on a sunlit leaf.

This is why I carry nearly 15 kg of gear on long walks: two cameras, four lenses, and a tripod. Because in nature, the unexpected is always waiting.

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