SUMMER ADVENTURES - Episode 35 - THE WILD CARROT EPISODE

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(Edited)

The ladybug is walking around the lovely carpet made of tiny flowers ...

... the crab spider is standing still ...

... camouflaged on it ...

... waiting in ambush ...

... every one of these blooming structures is like a little island ...

... and on each one ...


... something else is happening ...

... these shiny beetles, Cetonia aurata, are mating ...

... various butterflies ...

... and flies ...

... are consuming the nectar ...


... it's a great place for a macro safari ...

... many species can be found ...

... on these rich, blooming fields ...

... wild carrots cover large areas of the coastal meadows ...

... and their blooming during the summer looks spectacular...

... and attracts many small animals ...

... I visit these fields every summer since I was a kid ...

... and even after all these years ... I find every year some new details that surprise me ...

... this interesting horse fly with enormous eyes, ad example, I saw this summer for the first time ...

... from the second half of August ...

... to the end of September ...

... you can see many lacewings ...

... walking together ...

... around these blooming islands ...

... and also here ...

... you can find ...

... their lovely eggs ... each one at the end of its one thin tread ...

... on this shot, you can see a lacewing near the egg ...

... and this one ... is just another lacewing portrait in the late afternoon ... because I like to observe this gracile, fairy-like species ... an is a bit difficult now to change the subject ...

... but there are other things to see ...

... so ...

... let's continue ...

... through these sunny summer fields ...

... soaked in aromatic parfumes of the plants and the nearby sea ...

... in search of interesting, small-sized wildlife ...

... like this beautiful ...

... shiny ... and very colorful ... little wasp ...

... or these mating long-horned beetles ...

... or this other long-horned species, that is mimicking a wasp with its stripes and colors ...


... this butterfly just flew from the flower ...

... and this tiny spider ...

... is on its way to hide in the shelter inside the closed flower structure of the wild carrot ...

... many small species ...

... find shelter in these pots and bowls ...

... you can see two small bug nymphae ...

... of two very different bug species ...

... shearing this hiding place ...

... these colorful Graphosoma Lineatum bugs ...

... can sometimes be seen in big groups in these flowers ...

... during their mating period ... ... and talking about big groups ... ... the starlings are flying around in large swarms ... and sometimes rest among these plants ... ... some very large flowers ... ... from up close ... look like a landscape made of snowy hills ... ... with ants ... ... and ladybugs ... feeding on them ... ... and here ...on this, smaller flower ... we can see a bumblebee ... ... on this other one ... a tiny wasp species ... ... on this ... another butterfly species ... ... and here ... another spider is resting ... ... this other spider ... ... a really minuscule one ... has made his web under that flower ... ... and on the underside of yet another flower ... in the good position for a cool shot ... ... is another white crab spider ... ... crab spiders are pretty numerous here ... and so are the lacewings ... and on this photograph, you can see two legs of a hidden spider, sprouting out from the carpet made of tiny flowers ... while the lacewing is feeding dangerously near ... ... there is something cool to see ... ... on each and every flower ... ( Enlargeable ) ... on this one ... a strange saber-like shape that looked like part of the same plant was standing among the white petals ... ... but then it changed position ... and became clear that this is a part of an insect ... ... the hind part of this cricket ... ... the wild carrot flowers are actually umbels ... ... clusters of tiny flowers ... ... that form this radial structure ... which looks like one large, intricate flower ... ... and in its center ... ... there is often ... ... just one different little flower ... ... that can be purple ... or red ... ... sometimes very dark ... ... almost black ... and is there as an attractive visual signal for the insects ... ... and obviously does a good job ... because ... ... the insects ... ... are coming ... ... in great numbers ... ... and now ... ... I just remembered ... ... that I forgot ... ... to tell you ... ... the scientific name of this plant ... ... are you ready to hear it? ... :D ... ... well ... ... the scientific name of the wild carrot ... ... is ... ... DAUCUS CAROTA ... TADAAAM :D ... ... at this point, you certainly noticed that the text is getting sillier with each new word ... ... that's because I don't know what else say ... ... and I have some more pictures to show ... not many really ... ... but more than words, that's for sure ... ... let's see ... I have this ... ... this ... ... and this ... ... and then this one ... ... aaaaand ... that's it :D THE END ... finally ... as always in these posts on Steemit, all the photographs, and that one GIF you saw - are my work.


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14 comments
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Where to start.... bugs bugs bugs :D
But really.. those crab spiders are amazing! And that orange fly with humongous eyes!
And of course carrot field!... so nice..

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Hehe, A bug overdose for the eyes and mind :D

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This is wonderful. The crab spider shots, the lacewing eggs..your amusing little narrative, .well everything really. Great work!

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I'm about to tuck in for the night. These wonderful pictures will bring back memories of a childhood spent wandering around fields and forest. My happiest times were there. What nice thoughts I will have tonight.
Thank you :)

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