I'd been watching the vivid bright green foliage on my violets spring forth for a month or so and now, finally, the first flower had appeared. I ran indoors to grab my camera and, by chance, by the time I got outside armed with photographic equipment, a bright ladybird (again one of the first of the season) had settled on a leaf close by.

Like most people, one of the things I hate most about summer is the mosquitos. I also hate using mosquito repellant spray. Not only is the DEET found in most mosquito sprays harmful to the environment, the spay feels sticky and gross and makes being outside less enjoyable. Luckily, there are some natural, more environmentally friendly ways to keep bugs off.

The absolutely stunning beauty of insect life is brought to astonishingly inventive and decorative life by this artistic young lady from Topeka, In Kansas, USA, as she helps out third-world bug farmers in the process of creating wonderful jewellery and other things.