NEWS FROM THE MEADOWS 03.08.2020
With warmer days, the coastal meadows here in my area, have definitely turned from green to a much warmer palette, filled with earthy colors.
The grass is tall and dry ...
There is less insect activity during the hot daytime ...
... but you can still find interesting creatures, hidden in this summer version of the habitat ... like this Bacillus rossius stick insect, ad example ...
... or the elegant Bush - cricket Tylopsis lilifolia. Both of these species have their green versions too, more suitable for the juicy, green meadows in the inland of this peninsula.
But that doesn't mean that all the crickets here are brown - here you can see a green one of the same species.
Here is another generic shot of the meadow, with some Common wild oat (Avena fatua) grass standing tall in the foreground ... and on the following photograph ...
... another slender, grass - like insect, the Acrida ungarica grasshopper.
The word grass usually evokes images of textures made of the same looking straws, some sort of natural carpet, a lawn that becomes a landscape, but grass on the wild meadows comes in many species ... you can see many beautiful, very elegant shapes, especially now that the seeds are formed and mature.
I don't know the name of this feather - like thing ...
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... but it's a joy to watch it sway on the gentle summer breeze.
On the following photograph ...
... you can see some kind of light attached to the straw.
It’s a small caterpillar. It was photographed early in the morning, with the warm, gentle light coming from the opposite direction, making it look like some green neon, on that first picture.
Summer mornings can look pretty spectacular here in the tall grass.
Here is a small blue butterfly, I don't know the exact species, resting on the ear of grass.
These Colias croceus butterflies are mating on the Spiranthes spiralis plant (an orchid species), dipped in yellow light.
A Damselfly is resting on some dry plant, also early in the morning ... while on the following few photographs ...
... taken later in the day ...
... the much larger Dragonflies, are watching the meadows from the tops of the grass.
Here is another wider view at the setting ... and then ...
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... another lovely butterfly, the Marbled white (Melanargia galathea)
Sheep and goats are passing regularly through this landscape ...
... leaving excrement behind ... so the Dung beetles have always something to roll.
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The small beetle on this photograph is the very common and widespread Lagria hirta, these beetles feed on nectar and pollen.
The Camptopus lateralis bugs are very numerous these days.
Here you can see a pair mating.
This is the Carpocoris purpureipennis, a shield bug species.
Here you can see the Carpocoris purpureipennis nymph ... and on the following photograph ...
... is another plant that grows among the various grasses ... I don't know the name of the species.
Back to the insects, here you can see one of the very common grasshoppers in this area, I don't know the exact species, many similar looking grasshoppers are jumping around these meadows, I found quite a few species in my Internet search that could match the insect on this picture, so I'm pretty confused and can't tell you the exact name.
This is the small Oecanthus pellucens cricket, a tree cricket species.
These Robber flies are mating in the late afternoon ...
... and so are these diurnal, Nine-spotted moths (Amata phegea). And now ...
... with this empty exoskeleton that once was a Cicada nymph, adapted for underground life, photographed when the sun was almost down ...
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... and the last look at the meadow in the evening ... is time to end this report.
As always in these posts on HIVE, all the photographs are my work.
Amazing photos my friend!
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 36/45)
Thanks :)
Amazing insect end Baligar rar insct nice vanderful post :-)
I love these ethereal images with some strange creatures that you manage to capture :)
:)
You capture their faces--I think of @whatisnew. She loves the faces. Hasn't posted in a while. Hope she is well.
These photos are brilliant, of course.
I hope too, that is ok and that will be back soon in Insect pub... I miss some other people too from my early days on Steemit ... especially @deirdyweirdy and @goat-girlz, hope they will be active again one day ... relatively soon
:(
Unbelievable, from less to more!! I missed your work, thanks for coming back to delight our eyes.
Thanks :)