Latest posts tagged with #InvertOdyssey on Bluesky
An iris weevil preparing to plunge its long proboscis into a green iris
One of my last stops in Dorset was Durlston Country Park, always a pleasure to visit. There were beautiful butterflies everywhere, but I was just as excited to see this chunky Iris Weevil, Mononychus punctumalbum.
#Coleoptera #Beetle #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey
A scarlet darter, clinging to a plant stem with its wings held forward. It’s an intensely red dragonfly
Whilst in Dorset, I couldn’t resist visiting Crossways to see the Scarlet Darters. Such dazzling dragonflies!
Scarlet is a pretty fitting name, but even that doesn’t do them justice. They were radiant.
#Odonata #dragonfly #insect #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey
Heath Tiger Beetle, black with pale markings on the wing cases, lifts itself high off the sand with its long legs.
Heath Bee-fly, fuzzy and sandy brown, with a long dark proboscis, sunning itself on the sand
The highlight of my recent holiday came at Studland (1/7), where I finally saw Heath Tiger Beetle! My third year of trying, but the weather finally cooperated.
Heath Bee-fly was a great bonus.
#Coleoptera #insect #MacroPhotography #Diptera #InvertOdyssey
A European beewolf, a slender wasp with black and yellow markings and a large yellow patch on the face, standing on bare ground looking into its burrow.
A green-eyed flower bee emerging from its burrow in sandy ground. It’s small, cute and fluffy with large green eyes
The final part of my holiday was spent in Dorset. First stop, RSPB Arne (30/6).
I spent a long time captivated by the Beewolves and Green-eyed Flower Bees.
#wildlife #Hymenoptera #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey
A rhododendron leafhopper, bright green with streaks of reddish-brown, rests on a green leaf.
The next stop on my holiday was Furzey Gardens, Hampshire. Sadly too late for Scarlet Malachite Beetles, but I did see my first Rhododendron Leafhoppers, amongst some other new bugs and beetles.
#wildlife #bug #Hemiptera #InvertOdyssey
Omaloplia ruricola, a black chafer beetle with brown wing cases, separated by a thick black line, standing on a leaf
A crab spider with hoverfly prey in its clutches. The spider is yellow, camouflaging perfectly against yellow flowers
A shiny green and copper Cryptocephalus beetle standing on a leaf, holding an egg between its back legs as it coats it with faeces - creating the pot that gives these beetles their name.
After Kent, the next stop of my #InvertOdyssey was White Down in Surrey. I saw four species of Cryptocephalus, including two nitidulus!
Neither posed for a photo, unlike this Omaloplia ruricola and Crab Spider.
Saw one of the green Cryptos laying an egg, but not sure on species.
#beetle #spider
A map weevil, with a long snout and intricate white patterns all over its brown body, clings to the hairy leaf of viper’s bugloss
Geotomus petiti, a tiny black shieldbug with spiny legs, stands on sandy ground surrounded by detritus
Cryptocephalus labiatus, a black pot beetle with paler legs and antennae, clings to the edge of a bramble leaf
Silis ruficollis, a slender black beetle with a red pronotum and long antennae, stands on a leaf
Spent my last day in Kent (27/6) at RSPB Dungeness.
Took an hour to leave the car park! Too captivated with the Map Weevils around Viper’s Bugloss and Geotomus petiti under Stork’s-bill.
Other highlights were Cryptocephalus labiatus and Silis ruficollis.
#Coleoptera #Beetle #Bug #InvertOdyssey
Lesser streaked Shieldbug, a small, round brown bug with silver streaks, in a pot lid surrounded by detritus
Fallen’s Leatherbug, a mottled brown bug with a distinctive backwards v on the pronotum, walking across sand, surrounded by detritus
An emperor moth caterpillar resting on a leaf. It’s a bright green caterpillar with yellow bumps and long white hairs
So excited to visit Sandwich Bay for the first time (25/6). Too many highlights to list, but searching Stork’s-bill revealed Lesser Streaked Shieldbug and Fallen’s Leatherbug.
Lots of Lepidoptera too, including Bright Wave and this incredible Emperor caterpillar
#Bug #TeamMoth #InvertOdyssey
Clytra quadripunctata, a black beetle with orange-red wing cases sporting black dots, clings to a leaf.
Clytra quadripunctata, a black beetle with orange-red wing cases sporting black dots, clings to a leaf, looking straight towards the camera.
Clytra quadripunctata, a black beetle with orange-red wing cases sporting black dots, clings to a leaf.
A cow-wheat shieldbug, black with a white border and two white dots, clinging to the leaf of a cow-wheat plant.
Enjoyed a visit to the fantastic West Blean Wood on my trip to Kent (24/6).So many bugs, beetles and butterflies, including plenty of Heath Fritillaries.
Thrilled to see lots of Clytra quadripunctata and my first Cow-wheat Shieldbug.
#Bug #Beetle #Coleoptera #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey
Two young swallows perched in a bush, surrounded by green leaves, with blue sky behind them
I spent another day on the North Kent Coast (23/6), with another frustratingly brief glimpse of Fiery Clearwing.
These young Swallows were much more cooperative, landing close enough for my 100mm macro lens!
#Wildlife #Bird #InvertOdyssey
A yellow-tailed scorpion, Euscorpius flavicaudis, glowing blue beneath a UV torch as it runs across a brick wall
A yellow-tailed scorpion, Euscorpius flavicaudis, running up a brick wall
A yellow-tailed scorpion, Euscorpius flavicaudis, peeking out from a crack in a brick wall, holding its claws out
A green-fanged tube web spider, Segestria florentina, peeking out from a crack in a brick wall
The second day of my trip (22/6) found me on the North Kent Coast.
A brief glimpse of a Fiery Clearwing was a highlight, before spending time in the darkness with Yellow-tailed Scorpions and Green-fanged Tube Web Spiders.
#Scorpion #Arachnid #Spider #Wildlife #InvertOdyssey
Southern bee chafer, Trichius gallicus, a fuzzy yellow beetle with black markings on its yellow wing cases, mimicking a bee.
Southern bee chafer, Trichius gallicus, a fuzzy yellow beetle with black markings on its yellow wing cases, mimicking a bee. It’s peeking out of a pink blushed bramble flower
A red-belted clearwing resting on a leaf. It’s a dark bluish-black moth with a thick red band around its body and clear wings.
A pair of red-belted clearwings joined as they mate. They are slender bluish-black moths with a thick reddish-orange band around their body and clear wings.
Just back from a two-week invertebrate odyssey across southern England. The first stop was Rainham Marshes (21/6), where I saw my first Trichius gallicus and found a pair of Red-belted Clearwings!
#Beetles #TeamMoth #MacroPhotography #Clearwing #Coleoptera #InvertOdyssey
