A photographer hunted far and wide for a rare species only to accidentally spot it in a Glasgow park during his lunch break.

David Hamilton has spent almost four years looking for a elusive ruby wasp and even travelled abroad to try and capture one.

The 43-year-old was starting to give up hope when suddenly the multicoloured insect appeared in front of him in Ruchill Park last month.

Glasgow Times: The rare ruby wasps also known as Chrysis ignitaThe rare ruby wasps also known as Chrysis ignita (Image: David Hamilton)

The ruby wasp’s scientific name is Chrysis ignita and has been suggested as one of the UK's most beautiful insects, according to The Wildlife Trusts.

With just seven percent battery in his camera, he knew he had one shot to catch the creature as they are extremely fast and small.

Despite his "panic" he frantically snapped some pictures before his camera died and was thrilled to finally have a picture of the stunning bug at last.

Glasgow Times: David couldn't believe he had finally found the stunning waspDavid couldn't believe he had finally found the stunning wasp (Image: Newsquest)

David told the Glasgow Times: “It is truly a fantastic find, especially at the end of the season, they are so impressive because of their colours.

“When I saw one resting on a fence at Ruchill park as my camera was dying I couldn’t believe it.

“I felt a sudden panic as they are very rare, small, and quick, so it felt like now or never.

“I have been looking for a ruby tail wasp for years, I had even been to France to try and catch one but couldn’t get near them despite trying for days.

“I was just finally in the right place at the right time. I am very happy I got it.”

Glasgow Times: David got interested in photography during lockdownDavid got interested in photography during lockdown (Image: Newsquest)

David became interested in macro photography during the pandemic as he went on daily walks in Glasgow.

He began photographing Ruchill Park often and invested in special equipment to capture different tiny local beasts.

Now he has more than 115,000 followers on Instagram as he shares his finds on his WeeMadBeasties Instagram account.

 

David said: “During lockdown I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything, so I decided to get into macro photography.

“I went to local parks and gave it a try during my one-hour walks, I really enjoyed it so soon I was hooked.

“It is great showing off the interesting insects we have on our own doorstep in Glasgow.

“I started up my Instagram page to share my pictures then eventually ended up travelling all over the world doing it and making friends.

“I think I am one of the only guys in Scotland doing it right now, we have some really spectacular insects to capture.”