Time Flies

I have not had much time recently to post here, partly due to working 7/7 but also because the 'hunting' ground has been cut down to make haylage. This means the habitat of all the insects that I had the pleasure to observe has been removed and with that the insects too have dissapeared.

Therefore I have to travel further and find different spots, otherwise I am seeing the same insects over and over as there is now not much variety in the grazing fields.

Still, I do get the odd moment when I have time and the weather is suitable (i.e. light and windstill) but the majority of photographs is posted on Instagram:

For those that don't know: instagram is a handy little social media app where people worldwide share photographs. Why not join POTR on instagram to keep up-to-date?  Username:  pixelsontherocks

Perhaps see you there! :)

I will post here and share all the discoveries from the summer months once the days are shorter and the evenings draw in. But while the sun is shining, I make the most of it by being outside!

Till very soon ...

Haylage Meadows - Habitat Gone

It is the time of the year ... July is THE month for all the haylage making nearby. While this is great news for the farmers and their livestock as well as all horse owners, it is quite bad news for all the insects that have taken up residence in the long grasses.

Indeed one of my favrouite hunting patches has fallen victim to haylage making. Early this week, near midnight even, the tractors were out, cutting down all the fields that had been left untouched for nearly 2 years.

I woke up and when I saw it I was close to running out and to lie down in front of the tractor!  All the caterpillars that I had watched up there, all the little spots for various bugs that I had found and repeatedly visited, all gone.

The weather since hasn't been good enough to go and visit the fields again, at least along the stonewalls some of the long grasses are still there and of course all those insects that took up residence in the brambles are fine. No machine messes with brambles!

The most unfortunate part of it is this one cocoon (below) that I had been watching for weeks - the cocoon of a burnett moth caterpillar. I saw it make it and went to visit it every week. It would have been time just about now for the moth to emerge but it won't have survived the tractor wheels and the cutting. Just a day before they were cutting I went to visit it and it looked as though it was just about ready ... A great shame really as I was hoping to photograph it's last stages before emerging.

But alas, the world keeps turning and life goes on in other places. Below the larvae of a thistle tortoise beetle. They are so hard to spot! Tiny specks of  moving 'dirt' at first and only by closer observation can you see the spikey larvae. The thistles are full with them at the moment.

And this below rather unusual and fairly rare being is a Slender Striped Robber Fly. At first it looked like a cranefly and it flies in a similar manner but its somewhat long body remained me of a damselfly. Close up from the front, its eyes are blue and it has a little 'moustache'. Unfortunately the portrait shot is not sharp enough, it was a breezy day.

June Highlights

There is a back log of photographs and piles of handwritten notes of things observed that I plan to share here but I am having a difficult time to keep up.

These below are for me some of the most notable moments of this months adventures so far.

The Dolichopodidae Fly

These long-legged flies are a large family of True Flies. 

Yes, I too didn't know what True Flies are and so I have made enquiries: they are insects classed as Diptera (Greek:  di = 'two' & ptera = 'wings'). Insects of the order Diptera have only a single pair of wings and the hindwings are reduced to a club-like shaped organ for balancing (and just answered another question I had.)

These Dolichopodidae Flies are predatory and feed on smaller animals. They are mostly small flies with the most prominent body parts being these long, stilt-like legs and the fairly large eyes. This is just one example of course, these flies do come in different colours and do vary lightly in sizes but they often have a green-blue metalic body colour.

It appears that the fly above is feeding on a pot worm (enchytraeids). 

Now just what is a pot worm? Indeed the name gives it away; it appears that someone somewhen discovered these white and see-through worms in plant pots, hence the name. They love rich organic matter, places that are moist and low on pH. They feed on fungi, bacteria and organic matter. 

I guess this makes them a delicious meal for the Dolchiopodida fly. :)

Short life of a froghopper nymph.

In a previous post I have mentioned this white, spit-like foam that can be seen all over the garden and meadows. The foam is a protective 'casing' for the froghopper nymphs. 

However, it is clearly a case of survival of the fittest and death for the unlucky (wrong place at the wrong time), such as this nymph that will not ever make it out of the protective foam ... A plant bug is making the most of this easy prey!

Female Cleg Fly - Also known as Horsefly

We all know just how annoying they can be, especially if you have horses! I'm afraid I'm guilty of swatting many of these. But when I looke at my very first macro shot of one of these flies some 2 years ago I was 'gobsmacked' ... those eyes! 

The male too has beautiful eyes but his appear 'half open'. It is the female only that has the biting, sharp mouth parts (no jokes please! :P) and the females feed on the blood of large mammals, here mostly cows and horses. In the meantime, the male is happy with some delicious nectar ... as he does not have the same sharp mouth piece.

 A proud Wolf Spider Mum!

 This was for me certainly the highlight of the month: never before have I seen a spider with her spiderlings on her back. 

It was on a warm morning, the above mother was joined be another spider mum and a male. All three were sunbathing on a piece of old, broken off branch. Neither of them were upset by my closeness and I had the joy of spending quite a long time with these beings. 

Every now and then one of the tiny spiderlings would wriggle and stretch a leg out. I was anticipating them to 'dismount' at any moment, but no such luck. The male spider was interesting to observe too. He made the rounds around these two spiders as though he was there for their protection. Perhaps they all were waiting for the little ones to leave the mother's body, I hope I wasn't interupting them too much. The male would also every now and then touch the female with his legs, almost as though to hold her hands ... 

All of us sat there in the warm sunshine, me mesmerized by what I was witnessing and them probably wishing for me to 'bugger off'.

Isn't she beautiful!

Instagram - Join For More Photographs and Discussions

It has been very busy lately and I have not had all that much time to go and hunt outdoors and I have had even less time to write down here all that I have discovered.

For more photographs, join POTR on instagram and partake in the discussions we sometimes have relating to insects and other life forms.

It would be great to see you there!

Raindrops keep falling ...

After a very long (weeks) dry spell of hot weather, the rain has arrived and reminded us that we do live in the United Kingdom and not in some fancy Mediterranean holiday resort.

The temperatures have dropped by a good 10 degrees C. This requires a change of hunting grounds of course as with the rain also often comes wind. A safe place to hang out are the stone walls, the spear thistles or just generally keeping a low profile (flat on the ground!). 

While many insects go hiding, this kind of weather is high time for the snails and slugs. I am very fond of slugs (I do say that about every creature, I know!) and have created a special page on this blog just for them, you can find it here.

 This slug was displaying great weight distribution skills, balancing on this quite fraglile buttercup plant.

As old as the hills ... snails belong to the oldest known animal form on this planet. I guess with that comes a lot of wisdom ... perhaps that is why they are so 'chilled' out.

 This particular snail was so big that at first I didn't even see it! It takes my eyes a while to addapt to seeing 'small' and switching between large and small objects can be tricky. What a beautiful example!

Next time you have a little time on a rainy day go outside and spend some time observing these lovely creatures. Their ability to overcome pretty much any obstacle in their way with great calmness and also creativity ( see: 'A snail with a plan' ) is inspiring.  In fact the longer I observe these creatures, the more I realise just how much we can learn from them. They, in their own way, know much more than we do but unfortunately we are too busy with our silly minds and all the voices in our heads.

A Nursery Web Spider has found a spot to build her home. It's about time, her egg sack is huge and she is defending it fiercly.

 

To quote an Instagram follower: 'Shelob' - Well I'm afraid its too late for Frodo .... 

 A calm and unasuming Orchid Beetle makeing use of the rain drops.

 

And some of us live in bubbles .... 

A tiny weevil somehow is carrying with him this bubble of water. That is in fact an interesting topic, insects and their water resistancy and how some of them can even walk on water. Another topic for the some other time.

It doesn't look like there is an end to the rainy weather ...

Enough IS Enough! Angry Soldier Beetle Female

It is high time for the soldier beetles and they are everywhere! Flattering dizzily from one grass blade to another or crawling around on the thistles. Wherever you look, you see these beetles doing what nature requires for their survival, they reproduce.
Until today I never actually spent much thought on the mating behaviour of bugs and beetles. I guessed it was a pretty straight forward 'come first served first' matter. The dock bettles certainly don't seem to care and I have even seen a dock beetle attempting to mate with a ladybird. See the special page here on this blog - menu to the right.

But today I was witness to something very ... hmmm ... not sure if I can call it odd, it's nature afterall so it is only odd to us humans. I noticed a lot of movement out of the corner of my eye and as I went to investigate, I found two soldier beetles having what seems to be some kind of a fight. Upon closer inspection, I realised that they were actually mating. However, the female didn't seem to be happy with it at all! 

This is how I found the pair ... her wriggling and twisting her body, trying to escape ... jaws wide open, ready to attack.

He had a difficult time holding on to her ... she wasn't a willing mate!

 

She nearly got free for a short moment but I am quite sure that would have been the death of both ... being still united.

 

Her constant struggles make them both loose grip and balance and they fall sideways onto the thistle leaf. She is desparately trying to claw herself away from his grip ...

 ... then she manages to get back up and still furiously tries to get away!

 

As she is trying to snap at him her body twists and to stop her, he grabs hold of her even more and holds her down by her thorax. (part between head and body)

But he caught himself a feisty mate and she is not giving in! She partly manages to struggle free ... and then both fall to the ground ... and I could no longer see them. I stepped away of course so as not to step on the two by accident.

I wonder how this ended ....



With this event I have become curious: do some insects choose a suitable partner? I am quite sure some don't care. There has been some research on these soldier beetles and the thought that they may use assortative mating. Meaning that like likes like. Same size, same strenght ... etc etc.

Not sure what she was unhappy about, he looks like a big strong beetle ...

I shall make some inquiries and I hope to be able to report back my findings.

*** added 15th June 2016***

Having had some conversation on forums it appears that the female may have mated already and isn't  wanting to mate again, hence her anger. Clearly, the male is ignoring this.  I am still quite surprised by this, thinking that nature would be more 'clear' about things.

***

 
 Below some less 'wild' examples of soldier beetles mating ... albeit they do have some imagination ... ;)

This position I have seen quite a few times ... its more of a trapez act than a reproductive act ... looks pretty realxed to me ... dangling in the breeze. What often makes me laugh out loud is that the males seem to casually have their arms crossed ... its not all that interesting is it ... !

The female in many cases wanders about looking for food while quite happily carrying her 'burden' with her.

I will set up a special page for these soldier beetles, they are a fascinating bunch and have the most expressive little faces.

Small, smaller, smallest

Another sunny and almost windstill day - perfect to have another go and trying to get some decent images of some very small creatuers - the Micropterix calthella moth.

I find them astounding! The longer I spend time with them, the more I am fond of them. Then again, I say that about all these creatures. :)

This tiny moth is quite hard to see and you have to be on your knees down in the grass. Many eyebrows have been raised in puzzlement and also amusement at this strange human on all fours in a field. Although I would like to add that I follow a path that is used by the badgers and other dog walkers. None of us go through the tall grass so as not to disturb the wildlife. These fields are kept naturally, without grazing. The grass grows, dies down and grows back. Its a paradise for people such as me of course. All I have to do is to pick a spot and sit still. It never takes long for the insects to appear. Or perhaps better put: until my eyes adjust to seeing the very small beings.

But back to this lovely, charming moth. They shimmer and sparkle in the sunlight as they move about on the grasses and buttercups. Evertyhing about them is just perfect and their behaviou fits their look; they are very playful beings and don't at all care about me being so close.

 Aren't they charming, sweet little creatures?

 So small and so joyfully coloured.

 Foaming!  The meadows nearby are full with this foam. Although I knew what it was, I never knew what is in it, until today! You can just make out some cream coloured 'things' inside that foam ... 

 

 And this is what is in it: Froghopper / Spittlebug nymphs.

This one above only just had emerged from the foam, it is still wet!

I learn every day something when I spend time with these little and not so little beings. 

Everyday is new and I basically know nothing if one considers all the knowledge that is out there, so far beyond ours.

Although this post is about the smallest of things, I have to add this one too, I mentioned it in the previous post. I now know what it is, thanks to the Natural History Museum's forum. Thank you! 

It is a Burnett Moth Caterpillar in its silk cocoon. I guess it'll be another few weeks before it will emerge. Luckily it is in a secluded spot, so I shall try and keep an eye on its development. 

And of course, Agent B is still investigating the 'Mystery of the Impaled Insects' Case on CSI Nature.

Clearly, an undercover agent is not to be photographed, I should have known!

Soaking Up The Sunbeams

It has been very warm (I would call it HOT) recently, with very little wind. In many ways perfect for my style of photography except for the fact that I loose time out there and I don't sit in the shade.  And so I am applying layers of factor 30 suncream ... which helps but I guess I could almost class as a ladybird ... with all the freckles! :)


With it being this hot, its lovely to just pick a spot in the by now almost hip long grass (bear in mind I am only 5 feet so it doesn't take much!) and just wait ... quietly sitting there, not thinking about anything but just listening, smelling, feeling. Its lovely!

It doesn't take long before the first 'models' turn up.

 Micropterix calthella Moth

My new fascination now, after being hooked onto the golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle, these are now my latest craze ... so very tiny and yet so quirky, kind of hippy little chaps! :)

This green-blue Lacewing Chrysopa-Perla flew right in front of my lense. It looked beautiful in mid air ... with its shiny body shimmering in the sunlight. It has a kind of dainty way of being airborne, somewhat an unsteady looking flight path and very slow. This makes it quite easy to spot but they don't often stay for long as they are also very shy. I guess this one was just glad it had found some shade.

Now then ... anyone with horses will know about these horseflies! We swat them as soon as we see them. Yet the other day I meantioned to a friend of mine that these are, although extremely annoying, in fact very beautiful beings. Just look at those eyes .... !

 I am not yet sure to which family this chap belongs ... it does look like a click beetle. It is however almost twice the size of those I have seen so far. This model here has also a matt yet brown/green  shiny body, where as the other click bettles are matt brown only. I had a little blooper moment here (I have many of those and will come to it later when I have time!) ... because of its weight and it making it worse by flapping with hits wings, the grass gave way and both plunched to the ground, me nearly with them because I was following with the lense ...

 A garden chafer came to visit too ...

 ... and so did the afore mentioned Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle.

'What happens in the shadows, stays in the shadows' .... 

Jumping spider devouring a fruit fly.

Right next to where I sat, there was this caterpillar working on weaving its silky cocoon. Not sure yet what it will be, I am yet to find out.

All the while I felt that something was watching me ... and upon looking down to the ground I looked right at this Snipe Fly, posing in a quite cheeky kind of way. It remained there for some time, not sure what it was waiting for ... 

 And of course more fun with the Soldier beetles!

Not very good at this flying business I must say.

 The longer I sit and observe, the smaller beings I notice ... smaller and smaller .. 

Eventually I decided to escape into the shade, but on the way I went past the grasshopper nursery and was pleased to see that all the nymphs are doing well and more young ones are appearing. This one is perhaps the size of a carpenter ant, but no more. It certainly has a great 'cute factor'!

 As always, quite majestically posing ... have to correctly ID this one yet.

And so it was once more time to say good by to all these beings, including this little one here how had made itslef cosy on my leg.  (Jumping Spider).

Till next time! :)