Top 10 Favourites of 2025
Choosing a Top 10 from 365 daily photos was always going to be tricky. Some days the light was perfect, other days it was a quick grab between showers, and quite often it was a case of “I didn’t expect to see that today.”
After a lot of chopping and changing, I finally nailed it down. And interestingly, half of them turned out to be insects. Which makes me wonder… are my insect-stalking skills improving, or am I just getting better at spotting them before they spot me?
So here they are – my Top 10 favourite photos of 2025.
1. Peak District classic
This one was taken in the Peak District, in one of our favourite quiet places. A scene that just feels timeless and calm. And no… I’m not saying exactly where 😉.
2. Cornflower blue
The most stunningly blue cornflower I’ve seen in a long while. Sometimes colour alone is enough to stop you in your tracks, and this one absolutely did.
3. Ruby-tailed bee
A superb ruby-tailed wasp caught sweeping its doorstep. I did airbrush out its brush… only joking 😂. The metallic colours on these little bees are always a joy to photograph.
4. Damselflies in tandem
Two amazing damselflies joined together in mating. Such an elegant pose and a moment that doesn’t last long, which makes it all the more special.
5. Common blue butterflies
More mating! I felt incredibly lucky to capture these two common blue butterflies joined together. Right place, right time, and just enough patience.
6. Musk beetle on a pear
A musk beetle standing on a rotting pear. I know this photo is real, but even to me it looks like I’ve photoshopped the beetle onto the fruit. Nature can be wonderfully surreal.
7. Itsy bitsy spider
A tiny spider climbing up her web, photographed from a really unusual angle. I loved the sense of movement and the detail showing the fine hairs on her legs.
8. Fly agaric
There had to be a toadstool in there somewhere. This was our most perfect fly agaric specimen of the season – bold, colourful, and impossible to ignore.
9. Robin at the tearoom
This robin was captured while we were sat outside a tearoom. It hopped onto the next table and, miraculously, fluffed itself up just as I pressed the shutter.
10. Ladybird in hibernation
This one probably shouldn’t be that special – just a ladybird hibernating between sloe berries. But the contrast of colours and the sharpness of the image really make it stand out for me.
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing my photos throughout 2025. Do any of my choices match your favourites?
Here’s to many more amazing photos in 2026. And if you’d like to enjoy them at a more leisurely pace, Books 1 and 2 (Years 1 and 2) are available as printed books, published by Green Cat Books, or sent out directly by myself. https://www.greencatbooks.com/ian-stephens