(It won.)

I like milkweed bugs a lot. They’re not much bigger than a grain of rice and tend to be found in swarms, drinking up the milky sap that gives the milkweed plant (and the bugs) the name. Plus, although there isn’t a lot of room for variety on their tiny backs, they’re decorated with patterns that could be little bug Rorschach tests. Also, considering how itty-bitty they are, they seem to have a smidgen of curiosity. This one marched to the end of a leaf to stare me down, and I’m happy to say that this photo is completely unedited.

And yeah, I got the picture, and I was really happy with the picture, so I moved on. Then I noticed that it was still perched at the end of the leaf, so I took another photo, but it doesn’t matter: It won.

July 25, 2010. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 105mm Nikon macro lens (35mm equivalent: 155mm), f/5, 1/500, ISO 640.