THRUGH THE BUSHES ... in search for insects,flowers and other amazing stuff - for the Amazing Nature Contest - June 2020 - #01

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Among the many interesting natural habitats just outside my hometown, the dense intricate Mediterranean vegetation very often covered with thorns, is maybe the richest and the most mysterious.
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The richest, because these 1,5 - 3 meter high shrubs produce a massive quantity of various flowers and tiny fruits that attract a great variety of small animals ...
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... and mysterious, because the density combined with many thorns makes it pretty impenetrable.
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On this photograph you can see the young female of the European Green Lizard ( Lacerta viridis) hidden in the intricate vegetation ... and the butterfly on the opening picture is the Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta)
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Plant on this photograph, the Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) is one of the most iconic plants in this landscape ... and these resilient shrubs produce a spectacular explosion of beautiful vivid flowers.
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You can observe many colorful creatures hiding and feeding here.
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This caterpillar is very decorative and colorful, but these seemingly showy colors and patterns are a very good camouflage in this colorful place. This is the larval stage of the Apopestes spectrum moth, which isn't colorful at all.
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This other caterpillar that builds loose silky shelters, will also become a moth after the metamorphosis. This is the larval stage of some moth from the
pyralid ( Snout moths) family ... I don't know the exact species.
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These strange little creatures are also regular inhabitants of the Spanish broom.
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These are the Horned froghoppers ( Centrotus cornutus ). On this photograph the pair is mating ... and on the same photograph you can see a crab spider holding an ant. The quantity of life among these flowers is often overwhelming, while you photographing a specific subject, concentrated on one thing, you will often end up with who knows what else on the photograph. I noticed the spider only later when I saw the picture on the PC monitor.
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Here you can see a minuscule spider ... I mean, if you enlarge the picture becouse this species is very small. One Oedemera nobilis beetle ended up caught in the sticky trap ... while some others are exploring the flower.
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This is just an ordinary ant ( I don't know the exact species) but in this bright yellow ambiance even a very common ant looks pretty spectacular and beautiful.
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On this photograph you can take a look at the very common European mantis (Mantis religiosa) ...
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... hidden among the resilient, fibrous sprouts of the Spanish broom.
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Wild roses (Rosa canina) ... are also an important, and very decorative, part of this habitat.
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On this photograph you can see The Mediterranean spotted chafer (Oxythyrea funesta) ... feeding on the rose ... while on the following photograph ...
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... a bush cricket nymph is enjoying the flower.
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This is another beautiful flower from the blooming shrubland.
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These are the flowers of Cistus albidus plant.
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Some fruits are also very colorful.
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I don't know the name of this plant ... but is a relatively common one here.
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Fruits of this plant are a bit less vivid, although fairly similar in shape ... I can't tell you much about this species.
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I don't know the name ... it grows in the stony area near the sea ...
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... and is very sticky. The branches and the leaves are covered with this sticky droplets in many places.
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Here I found this very strange thing.
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It looked like some fungal formation ... or one of those things made by wasps ... or some strange sticky bud produced by the plant ... but when I touched it ...
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... the thing started to move ...
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... small legs appeared ...
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... it was a spider.
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It looked like a weird slimy crab spider with some pumpkin spider elements.
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I saw this species only once and I didn't found out the name ... or anything else about these spiders.
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Here you can see a bunch of Saturnia pavonia moth caterpillars ... hanging on the same plant ...
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... with two Periclista albida wasp larvae ...
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... it's a cool combination of shapes, colors and species ... and here is time to say a big thanks to mister @faltermann who gave me the names of these two species.
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The beauty on this picture is another Limenitis reducta butterfly ( species from the post's opening picture) resting on a small evergreen oak, a tree that is often a part of the shrub - mix.
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This is the very common Pieris rapae, the Cabbage white butterfly, on the blackberry shrub ... in the late afternoon.
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This is Melanargia galathea, the Marbled White butterfly.
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This is just a short look at the small but lovely blackberry flower.
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Here you can see an interesting moth ( I don't know the exact species) feeding on the same kind of flowers ... although this one is white ... the color of blackberry flowers may vary.
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Here ... also on the blackberry shrub ... is the Satyrium ilicis butterfly.
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Wasp spiders ( Argiope bruennichi ) often build they webs on these shrubs. Here you can see the small male and the considerably bigger female.
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Here, partialy hiden by the foliage of the blackberry plant, is the green version of the Anacridium aegyptium nymph ... the young locust's color provides a very good camouflage ...
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... so is well hidden even when is completely uncovered on that green background.
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Here is the brown nymph version of the same species ... and on the following photograph ...
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... you can see some small fruits of the same color.
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Here you can see them mixed with the green, unripened ones ...
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... on the same plant.
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I don't know the name of the plant ... but is a nice addition to this collection of Mediterranean shrubs.
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Sometimes these fruits fall on the leaves of the surrounding plants ...
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Like this Paliurus spina-christi ...
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... another iconic and widespread plant in this habitat.
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Here you can see a click - beetle ( I don't know the exact species) among the leaves and thorns.
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This one is feeding on the tiny flowers of the same plant.
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This brown bug is the Coreus marginatus, very common bug on shrubs and meadows.
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And now ...
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... with this lovely little caterpillar ... of the inchworm type ...
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... and the decorative, partially eaten leaf of the thorny Smilax aspera plant that makes many shrubby areas hard to explore ... is time to end this excursion ... as always in these posts on HIVE, all the photographs are my work ... THE END.



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14 comments
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You know so much about insects and flowers

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:) I'm learning while preparing these posts.

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Epic finds. I love the fat caterpillar and the plump spider.

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:) The plump spider was my biggest spider surprise here in the local nature ... hope I will see this species again now that I have better macro equipment.

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Looks like some kind of orb weaver. I bet it will change color and get even bigger as it gets older.

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What a lovely trip in the Nature Land. I loved that you could provide with names for the things you photographed. I always love to see how people enjoy and appreciate nature, thank you for sharing

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The diversity of species impresses me again and again. Especially the rare species like Limenitis reducta and Satyrium ilicis are fantastic. Both species can only be found in a few areas in Germany.

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These are just wonderful, but my favorite were the ones of the green Anacridium aegyptium nymph.

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I really like how your images accentuate the details of the organisms. It seems your area is a biodiversity hotspot. Where is this? Australia?

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Southern Europe ... in Croatia.

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wow, this post is stuffed with so many amazing and rather unusual sighting ! .. Its such an excellent compilation of species .. Its really well done, thank you for sharing those beauties with us here ^^

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