MEADOWS IN MAY - for the Amazing Nature Contest - May 2020 - #03

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There is a lot to see on the meadows these days. If there were any doubts about the amazingness of nature during the relatively dull winter, the colorful springtime easily swept them away.
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On the following photograph ... resting on the stem of grass like some furry ring or that elastic thing that can come handy if you want to put your human hair in ponytail ...
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... is a caterpillar, that I often encounter but can't tell you the exact species. I did my usual search through internet, but there were many similar species and at the end I ended up confused without a clear answer to the question - how will this furry thing look after the pupal stage?
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Another thing I didn't found out, and I would really like to know, is what are these small cocoons inside the large silky shelter ... and what's their relation with the caterpillar. I'm pretty sure that there is an interesting story behind this. If someone knows it, I'll be glad to hear it :D I'm ready to offer a 100 % upvote and a big thanks from the mysterious depths of my heart to anyone who can explain me this situation.
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Sometimes I see these caterpillars getting together, forming a fluffy ball around the blades of grass.
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These shots were taken early in the morning ... so there is a bit of dew on them to enhance the overall amazingness of these meadows, you can see it if you enlarge the pictures.
And now I'm thinking - what now? How to proceed with this rambling through the grass? What will be cool to show you next after all these caterpillars ... what will give some kind of continuity to the post ... and I came to the conclusion ...
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... that some butterflies will do the job.
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This is the Black-veined white ( Aporia crataegi ) ... and on the following two photographs ...
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... you can observe one of quite a few species of small blue butterflies that fly around here ... and look pretty similar ...
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... so I'm not sure about this butterfly.
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Some leaves are covered with aphids. Usually I encounter aphids on more juicy and soft plants, but these are relatively surprisingly herded on a resilient, fibrous leaf of grass.
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This is the larvae of the lady beetle ... and she is hunting the aphids.
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Some larvae are pupating ... going through the transformation ...
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... to become this ...
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... an adult Coccinella septempunctata lady beetle.
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Here you can see another interesting larvae ...
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... a pretty fluffy one ... it looks a bit like a minuscule sheep ...
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... but she is also a hunter ... and the aphids are her prey.
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These are the larvae of another, much smaller lady beetle species. There are a few species with similar larvae, I didn't saw any adults around when taking these photographs, so I can't tell you the exact species.
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These minuscule predators in sheep's clothing are definitely amazing ... and this was the first time I saw them in nature.
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This lovely yellow thing ... also furry and a bit fluffy ... is the new sprout of a plant ...
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... it will grow and change ...
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... to become a flowering part of a broomrape ...
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... a parasitic plant that grows attached to host plants under the ground, using their water and nutrients.
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There is not much green about these plants. They always look dried out or rotten because of their color, caused by the absence of chlorophyll. They entirely depend on other plants. Absolutely amazing, peculiar and interesting part of the plant kingdom.
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On some plants you can see these foamy formations ... that looks like someone just spat while passing by.
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They are the work of Froghoppers. On this photograph you can see the very common Cercopis vulnerata species mating. There are more species that build these foamy shelters for the eggs and then nymph.
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Here you can see another species. The nymph has just exited the old skin and now has wings and looks like a real adult.
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There is a great variety of Froghoppers here ... and on this photograph you can see yet another species ... in a still growing and developing, nymph version.
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Although the days are mostly dry and sunny ... there is still dew and humidity in the morning ... so you can occasionally find some puff mushrooms ...
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... like this one, ad example ... that had recently matured and is ready to release the spores ... the hole is open ... but it needs rain, it needs the pressure of the falling droplets to send out the powder from the sphere into the air.
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Here is a spider on the leaf of a small oak sprout that grows on the edge of the meadow. This species don't use orbs or other silky traps ... these spiders hunt waiting in ambush, camouflaged on brown plant parts.
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Here is another ambush predator ... on the ear of grass this time ... another spider species common on the meadows ... and this one ...
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... has just caught a fly.
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I often encounter these elegant moths ... and often, like on this picture, they are partially hidden by intricate vegetation, so I can't take a good shot ... but on the following photograph ...
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... I was given a relatively rare honor and opportunity to get a clear shot :D ... with a bit of poetic interplay of shadows and light ... that accentuate nicely the beauty of those amazing wings.
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Here you can see the Rhagonycha fulva beetles mating. They eat aphids ... but also feed on flowers, consuming pollen and nectar.
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I don't know which caterpillar is this, but is very common ... and looks pretty cool ... and now ...
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... with a few more generic flower shots ...
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... and ...

... the last ... a bit wider look at the meadow ... is time to end the post ... as always here on HIVE, all the photographs are my work - THE END.



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10 comments
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The last photo of the meadow is just beautiful. Those deep pink, blue and green go together like a symphony. Amazing shots of nature in your area!

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Thanks :) Greetings from the meadow.

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Thank you! Love the meadow with its soft vibrations.

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Awwwwwwwnnnn I must confess your pictures are so Amazing, they are so so beautiful.
I love nature,and actually I am Biologist so you see I love both animals and plants.
Thumbs up✌✌👍👍
You've really gotten a huge number of nice pictures displayed here
Much love💟💟💟💓

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Thanks. :) Glad you like this photo report from the meadows ... and that you are into these biological things. I'm trying to learn a bit about the science behind all this fantastic biodiversity while writing the post, after the photographing is done.

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EXCELLENT PHOTOS WHERE YOU PUT LIFE IN THE NATURE NAKED AND DIFFERENT PROTAGONISTS IN ACTION AS PART OF THE ECOSYSTEM, WITH BEAUTIFUL VEGETATION LANDSCAPE.
NICE JOB.

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Amazing !! .. There are sooooo many beautiful pictures in this post that you can easily browse it several time and still find something new that keeps you staring at it for a while .. Its nearly a whole documentation of the diverse life on a meadow ;) .. Fantastic work @borjan !!

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:) Thanks. I love to report news from the meadows.

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