Oh well, no sooner said than done. All you budding entomologists or photographers or anyone who likes nature, you can put your insect photos here!
I'll kick off with a few that I've had lately. This first is called a Mantis Fly & is a cross between a Fly & Mantis (funnily enough) & is in the Neuroptera family, which is a mixed bunch anyway, my first & I had 3 of them around the moth trap
& a Rhinocerus Beetle which was also attracted to the light & are quite rare now around here, he really was fabulous, very impressive,
& this Frelon was also in the moth trap, but seemed quite docile as long as I kept my distance!
& some Damsel flies, an Azure Damselfly (thanks for the ID Aiki)
a Large Red Damsel
& from early may a proper fly from the Dipteras, anyone know the English name, I think it's latin name is Otites lamed,
I usually only take photos of flies with interesting wings as I am hopeless at identiying them!
Thanks for looking & maybe you can post some of yours!!
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
Fab shot Hazy; looks like a Bee-eater to me!
lol Wendy, I was fearing that was a bee ! naughty little Waggie lol
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Regards, Hazel
Maybe it had fallen in the water and the Waggie rescued it?
Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos
(One bush does not shelter two Robins)
Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)
Unfortunately not Paul, Waggie spotted it overhead and leapt up and grabbed it lol, it was doing that a lot with insects that were on fly past !!!
I was just trying to offer you a different, if bizarre, alternative lol
not sure Waggie rescues them, he/she just eats them rofl ! In fact, he was drowning the mealworms before consuming them and also did a bit of assault and battery on it :(
Picking up on MC's remark about 'falling in the water' I had to mount a rescue today when starting to clean out my little pond as Goldfishes had disappeared from view & wanted to make sure they hadn't been snaffled by latest incumbent, ha ha!
I came across this black 'monster' either pretending to be a Water Boatman or just skinny-dipping (don't ask me?) with it's tail stuck up in the air like a scorpion, so I scooped him out in the plastic sieve I use for catching fishes!
Over an inch long approx
Came in to search for ID & found this very informative site ... https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs-and-habitats/devils-coach-horse & very pleased I had kept my rubber gloves on but would have been great to catch a shot with it's jaws open!
Devil's Coach Horse beetle making it's escape (that's when I got the BU pic!)
Was taking it's time moving off & I needed the sieve
Finally went out of sight & I got on with what I was doing ... but later on, when I moved a flower pot on the table, there he was & I nearly squished him!!! So coaxed onto a trowel & put into a large pot of wild flowers, probably spat at me then but I couldn't see it!!
Just another 'buggy' day!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
lol Wendy, great photo update and good job you were wearing gloves, interesting web page, I got as far as "These aggressive, carniverous predators" and shivered lol sounds as if I need one or two of these to eat all the slugs that spend the night on the tiles patio !!!
Thanks aitch, you should read it all, so interesting & even more disgusting habits!! Lol
Warmed to him greatly though when I read about feasting on slugs & other unwanted beasties!!
I can hear the grandchildren asking - "Would the d-c-h beat the waggie in a fight" An interesting match,methinks. :-) Solar powered Heron,Wendy.Very high-tech. Does it sing/flap/dispense? :-)
edit. Harmless shieldbug is my offering for the day.