Sense of Presence

“The tiny creatures that run the world,” is how myrmecologist Edward O. Wilson described insects. They are nature’s cleaners, food for many other species and are essential for the pollination of plants, including our crops. They deserve a stage to put their importance ánd beauty in the limelight. Rogier Maaskant’s (NL) enchanting images unveil a diverse array of insects in flight during twilight and nighttime – in forests and above fields, ditches, and ponds around Rotterdam. By using strobe light, his single exposures provide a unique view of the flight of caddisflies, moths, lacewings, dragonflies, gnats, and various other species that illustrate the rich biodiversity. With an essay by Auke-Florian Hiemstra, science communicator at Naturalis, Leiden.