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
Maybe I could send you a few caterpillars to look after Wendy?
Ooooh, yes please H ... need a friend or two! Lol
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
The Rhinocerus Beetle looks interesting to me. I've never seen it before. it's shiny body makes it look more of a pet than just an insect to me. I bet I can sit and look at it all day long.
Thanks Kenneth, funnily enough we found a dead one years ago & its been on our mantlepiece/shelves ever since. It's still lovely & glossy but needs dusting now & again!
Strangely enough H I'm amassing quite a collection of various insect bodies but nothing as impressive as your RB! Lol
I had a few moths around the trap last night & spotted this one on the wall that had been captured by a huge spider. I found a wing this morning & it looked like a Clouded Drab, don't know what the spider is except big & has a mate equally big!!
I later saw another caught in a web which I managed to rescue before the spider got it, although I suppose we all have to eat!
Another couple of recent bugs for you,
a Scarlet lily beetle (I think) but may be wrong as it wasn't on a lily
& our first Orange tip, although they've been around a while
& an unknown beetle at the moth trap,
That's all folks!
I found a dead Great Diving Beetle so have taken a few shots for all to see.
This one was a male. Note the smooth wing cases; the females have ridges running the length of the body.
If you haven't seen one before, they're actually quite large. You wouldn't want to gulp one down in a cup of tea.!!
I buried him in the garden next to the pond. It seemed like the right thing to do.
My bird photos HERE
Hooooge beastie PA & that's you for using that wicked looking photo prop!! No wonder his legs were crossed! Lol
Actually very interesting & good opportunity to examine at close quarters!
RIP GDB!
Really interesting find Paul, did it come from your pond? I wonder what it died of? Old age? Good idea to bury it, it'll provide a bit of food for the ants.