COASTAL CREATURES ... Part One

avatar
(Edited)

Like every summer ... I spent many hot July and August hours ...

IMG_2241 malo.jpg

... of this strange 2020 ...

IMG_2781 malo.jpg

... wandering along the coastline ...

IMG_2057 u IMG_2055 malo.jpg

... observing the interesting plants ...

IMG_2205 malo.jpg

... and small invertebrates ...

(Enlargeable)

... in various, slightly different habitats near the sea.

IMG_2232 malo.jpg

In this first part ...

IMG_2243 malo.jpg

... the things will revolve mostly around one plant ...

IMG_2071 u IMG_2075 malo.jpg

... the Euphorbia cyparissias ... that you can see on this double - portrait ... and was also present on every single shot you already saw in the post.

IMG_2120 malo.jpg

Although this common and widespread plant among the coastal rocks and nearby meadows will be in the center of focus ...

(Enlargeable)

... the sunny summer walk through the local flora & fauna ...

IMG_3355 malo.jpg

... presented here ...

IMG_2123 malo.jpg

... will try to provide a wider view ...

IMG_2132 malo.jpg

... at one typical, about half kilometer long, stretch of coastline and its mix of plants and animals.

IMG_2126 malo.jpg

Here you can see the wild carrot plant (Daucus carota) ...

IMG_2138 malo.jpg

... and a cricket ...

IMG_2136 malo.jpg

... the Eupholidoptera chabrieri bush - cricket resting on one of its composite flowers. On another flower ...

IMG_3375 malo.jpg

... some hairy fly, I don't know the exact species, is resting in a strange vertical pose ...

IMG_3397 malo.jpg

... because its rest is kind of eternal ...

IMG_3389 malo.jpg

... this fly was surprised and caught by an almost invisible predator ...

IMG_3390 malo.jpg

... the Thomisus onustus crab spider ...

IMG_3399 malo.jpg

... well camouflaged on this lovely carpet made of minuscule flowers.

IMG_2152 malo.jpg

Meanwhile ...

IMG_2163 malo.jpg

... on the Euphorbia cyparissias plant ...

IMG_2160 malo.jpg

... this ant was wandering around the flowers ... is searching for nectar.

IMG_2110 malo.jpg

Here you can see a bunch of Allium rotundum flowers on the stony coastal terrain.

(Enlargeable)

This wild onion species often grows near the sea ...

IMG_2174 malo.jpg

... and on this particular flower ...

(Enlargeable)

... you can observe the brand-new bug ...

IMG_2185 malo.jpg

... a shield bug ...

IMG_2186 malo.jpg

... of the Carpocoris purpureipennis species ...

IMG_2187 malo.jpg

... emerging ...

IMG_2188 malo.jpg

... from its old nymph skin ...

IMG_2193 malo.jpg

... as a considerably different ...

(Enlargeable)

... adult insect.

(Enlargeable)

While the pale, slightly unfinished bug is resting on the wild onion composite flower ...

IMG_2221 malo.jpg

... let's take another look ...

IMG_2738 malo.jpg

... at the Euphorbia cyparissias ...

IMG_2739 malo.jpg

... where groups of Mordella aculeata beetles are feeding and mating ...

IMG_2321 malo.jpg

... and this small moth ...

IMG_2314 malo.jpg

... just landed to take a dose of nectar.

IMG_2253 malo.jpg

A bit later, on the wild onion ...

IMG_2256 malo.jpg

... the Carpocoris purpureipennis is still relatively pale ... but its wings and overall shape are completely formed.

IMG_2092 malo.jpg

Meanwhile ...

IMG_2093 malo.jpg

... back on Euphorbia cyparissias ...

IMG_2236 malo.jpg

... the Hippodamia variegata lady beetles were wandering around the flowers in search for aphids ...

IMG_2087 malo.jpg

... the crab spider Runcinia grammica was waiting in ambush ...

IMG_2217 malo.jpg

... some minuscule wasp was just resting ... or so it looked ...

IMG_2291 malo.jpg

... and another lady beetle ... much smaller than aforementioned Hippodamia variegata ...

IMG_2310 malo.jpg

... the Scymnus apetzi, was also patrolling the flowers.

(Enlargeable)

On some small dry branch not far from there ...

IMG_2367 malo.jpg

... above the sea of wild carrot flowers ... the swallow was resting in between short, fast insect hunts.

IMG_2382 malo.jpg

This minuscule jumping spider ...

IMG_2379 malo.jpg

... I don't know the exact species ...

(Enlargeable)

... in the desolate macro landscape ...

IMG_2386 malo.jpg

... of the limestone formations in the tidal zone.

(Enlargeable)

This other small spider, also unknown to me, was running across the lichen - covered rocks a bit further from the sea, in the belt with short grass and many dried out plants ... and was very fast, very hard to catch and put on photograph.

IMG_2114 malo.jpg

This interesting plant that forms some kind of small green islands was also found there. Plantago subulata is the name of the species.

IMG_2727 malo.jpg

This is a detail from the Herniaria ciliolata plant, that was growing not far from there.

IMG_2462 malo.jpg

These are the small flowers of the Cakile maritima, photographed in the same area.

IMG_2062 malo.jpg

Euphorbia cyparissias was also present here ... just like further from the sea, on the meadows with much taller grass.

IMG_2080 malo.jpg

On this one ...

IMG_2096 malo.jpg

... you can see another bug species.

IMG_2095 malo.jpg

This time I don't know the name.

IMG_2224 malo.jpg

I regularly encounter a nice variety of small insects on this plant.

IMG_2252 malo.jpg

... this is some minuscule member of the Psyllidae family ... it's shaped a lot like Bactericera cockerelli - the potato psyllid ... but the color here is more intense and vivid.

IMG_2069 malo.jpg

The plant itself it's also pretty interesting and decorative.

IMG_2230 malo.jpg

Especially in macro view.

IMG_2290 malo.jpg

This laying branch has a nice pinky shades ... with yellow flowers on the top.

IMG_2278 malo.jpg

You can always find a bit of plastic garbage, here on the coast. This stuff doesn't look good most of the time ...

(Enlargeable)

... but in this case ... the broken canister has somehow created an interesting little garden ...

IMG_2285 malo.jpg

... with thick soil ...

IMG_2280 malo.jpg

... and some young Chenopodium album sprouts. This juicy edible plant usually grows only on the rich soil of the nearby agricultural fields, not here on the rocky terrain near the sea. In fact that same soil, brought by the wind, ended up trapped between the small plastic walls. And now ...

IMG_2336 malo.jpg

... is time to take another look at the wild onion.

IMG_2341 malo.jpg

Do you remember the Carpocoris purpureipennis that just came out of the nymph stage? Well, now it really looks like an adult insect.

IMG_2542 malo.jpg

This ground beetle is hiding its head in the ground ...

IMG_2541 malo.jpg

... near the empty shell of some small, elegant land snail ... that looks a lot like something out of the sea.

IMG_3270 malo.jpg

This minuscule beetle... I have no idea about the species ... is resting on some dry straw.

IMG_2474 malo.jpg

This plant is also dry ...

IMG_2473 malo.jpg

... and in its trumpet - like shape you can see a small nymph of some bug unknown to me.

IMG_2468 malo.jpg

On this photograph the insect had enough photography for that day ...

IMG_2463 malo.jpg

... it was time to find some privacy deeper in the trumpet.

IMG_2273 malo.jpg

This tree cricket, the Oecanthus pellucens, has just exited the old skin ... and now is resting on the mature ear of grass filled with seeds.

IMG_2735 malo.jpg

This interesting grasshopper nymph, of the Acrida ungarica species ... is camouflaged in some slightly greener grass ... while the fly on the following photograph ...

IMG_3257 malo.jpg

... is resting on a completely green leaf.

IMG_2106 malo.jpg

This Chaetopteroplia segetum beetle is resting among tiny flowers of some other grass species in bloom.

IMG_3367 malo.jpg

Here you can see some different small flowers.

IMG_2065 malo.jpg

And now ...

IMG_2091 malo.jpg

... with the last look at the Euphorbia cyparissias plant ... is time to end this coastal journey. As always in these posts on HIVE, the photographs are my work.



0
0
0.000
8 comments
avatar

Manually curated by ackhoo from the @qurator Team. Keep up the good work!

0
0
0.000
avatar

The coastline is very beautiful and full of aliens from outer galaxies! I think they think you are the alien! Haha. You have no wings!! LoL

0
0
0.000
avatar

What I love the most are the ladybugs. And I took photos of that species here. Your white spider I never saw it before.
It is interesting how this white insect changes its skin. I thought there were two of them, a male and a female and then I noticed no, hahaha.
And then my greatest amazement, now he is an adult !! God how fast.

What beautiful photos all. Congratulations!!

0
0
0.000
avatar

well done love your post
!discovery 50

0
0
0.000
avatar

:) Thanks. Glad you like this summer report about local flora & fauna.

0
0
0.000