Rockwolf 🇪🇺

Dialectica imperialella

Scrobipalpula tussilaginis

Stigmella spinosissimae

Cerodontha iraeaos

The new leafmine site update is now out. Has many excellent photos including some rarely seen eg Dialectica imperialella, Scrobipalpula tusdilaginis and Stigmella spinosissimae. Others more common. The amazing spiracles of Cerodontha iraeaos - like cow horns! www.leafmines.co.uk/html/updates...

mostly dorsal view of an iridescent blue roach on a reflective glass background eating some jelly

side view of an iridescent blue roach on a reflective glass background eating some jelly

a blue iridescent blue roach on my finger

Probably the most beautiful roach I've ever seen in real life - a flower roach (Eucorydia aenea)! This is a male, generally more iridescent than the females. Turns out, at least as adults, they love beetle jelly!

Saw quite a few Ectobius pallidus (Tawny Cockroach) [I think!] in Brittany, earlier this month. This nymph stayed still long enough for me to snap it with Rhyzobius lophanthae (Bristly Ladybird)! #Cockroach #Blatte #Coccinelle #Ladybird #MicroLadybird

The entomologist at work. Or play. Geotrupes stercorosus.

Certainly looks good for it, but I'm not good with the hoppers...

photo of a pumpkin with a carving of a large insect head with massive spiny jaws

photo of the same pumpkin at night but lit up from inside with a phone flashlight held by someone

sleep tight don't let the lacewings bite
#invertebrates #sciart

My favourite native Rock Rose (Cistus creticus). Not only beautiful, but valuable as a nectar source too!

Saw absolutely dozens of Planuncus vinzi earlier this month in Brittany, of all sizes! They're so gorgeous!! 🥰 Especially love how the antennae have looped on the first one! #Cockroach #Blatte #Blattodea #France

Side view of a brown flea with its head facing to the left of picture. Its legs are hanging down, and are covered in spines

A rather handsome male Ctenophthalmus nobilis nobilis flea found on a vole.
#Flea #Siphonaptera #Mallydams #UKWildlife

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These bundle offers finish at the end of the month.

Striped Shieldbug on Hemlock stem

Two Striped Shieldbugs on Hemlock stem.

Spotted underside of Striped Shieldbug hiding behind nettle stem.

Hogweed patch beside path, metal fence and trees in background.

Managed to find four Striped Shieldbugs (Graphosoma italicum) on Hogweed in the north east corner of Cornmill Meadows today. #LeeValleyWildlife #EssexWildlife #UKBugs

Please do feel at liberty to share this as much as you like.

Giant Willow Aphid, Tuberolachnus salignus

Giant Willow Aphid, Tuberolachnus salignus

Big swarms of Giant Willow Aphids, Tuberolachnus salignus, on the same tree they use every year.

#Bugs #Sternorrhyncha #VC55 #Aphids

Yes, it is! 😂 Brilliant! Thanks.

Detail of the water pot decoration. Grasshoppers carrying flowers are also accompanying a palanquin, used to carry... presumably high ranking lady grasshoppers. A couple might also be katydids based on antennae length, but let's not get uptight about imaginary anthropomorphized bugs, eh?

The little freshwater pot, with a wooden top. This side shows more grasshoppers (possibly a katydid) carrying fruit and flowers as they march along on their hind legs.

Let's start Monday with some whimsy. These delightful grasshoppers (possibly also katydids?) are from a water jar created by Makuzu Kōzan in 1870. To see full size images: www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...

Just love the Lixus species of weevils, so was very happy to find one earlier this month in Brittany! #Weevil #Charançon #Coleoptera #France

Likewise!

They weren’t aggressive towards me either, ‘chasing’ them around the ivy with the camera, though I’ve heard the same. I’ve not yet seen a nest though!

Agree wholeheartedly Vanna!

Asian Hornet

Asian Hornet

Asian Hornet

European Hornet

They may not be welcome, but still lovely to see the Asian Hornet (Vespa velutina) in Brittany this month, alongside our European Hornet (Vespa crabro), nectaring on Ivy. #Hymenoptera #Hornet #AsianHornet #EuropeanHornet #Frelon #France

The rear end of a small, bright orange poduromorph springtail, its head out of focus and reaching into a crevace of the bark it sits on.

Distribution map of M. grassei sourced from NBN Atlas, showing records mostly around southern england, some more appearing further into the midlands, though stopping entirely around Sheffield. A green dot is placed over Rochdale, in the north of Greater Manchester. The only records north of this are sparce, and come from the Republic of Ireland and the Glasgow + Edinburgh regions of Scotland.

Nice surprise today with the northernmost English record for Monobella grassei (approx location = Green dot)
Hopkin Checklist places it as 'MODERATELY COMMON IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND', though since then, many more records have populated the map across the midlands.
#collembola #entomology #springtail 🧪🪲

A raindrop coated Shield Bug on a pink flower a green stem with a water droplet passed just above it. The background to the right is a green blur

#truebug #insect #shieldbug #raindrops #pink #flower
A Shield Bug on a pink flower and covered in rain drops. I saw this, fortuitously, while photographing flowers. What a pretty find.

Crucifer Shieldbug topside - this one is black with white markings & a bronzy sheen. Markings can be red, orange or yellow instead of white.

The underside of the same bug, showing a rather delicate pattern of black & orange markings on a yellow/cream background.

A Crucifer Shieldbug (Eurydema oleracea) seen recently in North Shrops, showing its rather smart underside. A species which moved northwards into Shropshire in the last decade.

Stop International Trade of Whale Sharks, Oceanic Whitetip Sharks, and Manta and Devil Rays Add your name today to support greater regulations and protections for vulnerable sharks and rays.

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Stop International Trade of Whale Sharks, Oceanic Whitetip Sharks, and Manta and Devil Rays

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A nice surprise to find Sciocoris sideritidis in Rennes, Brittany, last week, in a pine! A first for me! #Pentatomidae #Shieldbug #Punaise

Travel News: There are delays on the A458 between Much Wenlock and Morville following a collision.

https://www.skaping.com/la-bresse/hohneck

❄️La #neige est arrivée sur les sommets de la région !

Le premier saupoudrage de la saison a eu lieu cette nuit sur les crêtes du Jura et des Vosges. Notre station d’observation a mesuré jusqu’à 2 cm au lever du jour au Markstein (68), à près de 1200 m d’altitude.

📸La Bresse (88) – via Skaping

A view looking along a beach with waves breaking and distant wind turbines.

Stormy seas on the east coast as storm Benjamin arrives.
#photography
#weather

Two tiny pseudoscorpions amongst the debris of decaying wood. They have long 'arms' (the pedipalps or palps) that end in claws and pale oval, rather flattened bodies. The head and palps are reddish brown.

Close up of a pseudoscorpion amongst the debris of decaying wood. The head, pedipalps and claws are reddish brown and covered in short thick hairs (setae). The pale oval, rather flattened abdomen has rows of short setae across the segments.

Allochernes wideri confirmed new to Norfolk!
Found by a fellow county recorder; luckily I was present at the time and got to see them and take these photos.
Unfortunately, I now have to update my guide to pseudoscorpions in Norfolk...
#arachnids #pseudoscorpions

It was a lovely surprise to see several seals on the beach at Calais whilst I was on the ferry, ready to head back to the UK! Only had the Olympus TG-6 on me though! #Seals #Phoques #France