richard_1's Favourites

@mobbini: dieser Weg ist für die Schillerfalter und Eisvögel am interessantesten. Als Köder gehen Hundekot (liegt da rum), stinkender Käse, überreife Bananen, (Frauen-)Urin. Am westlichen Ende des Wegs sollten nächste Woche auch Dukatenfalter fliegen. Unabhängig davon ist der gesamte Wald ein Paradies für Naturliebhaber...

Assuming that this odd creature is a beetle, the elytra are very thin and do not fit together down the midline. And when alive, its motions were like that of a fly or wasp walking around.

The tiny beetle club is my collection of beetles 3 mm or smaller: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Similar%20observation%20set=Tiny%20beetle%20club%20(%3C%3D%203%20mm%20long)

My first attempt at diatoms cleaning.

Three specimens observed, from the same sample of my previous observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141202070 taken on 2022-11-05.

Stria density: 7-8 per 10 μm (center), 10-11 (extremities).
Puncta density: 11 per 10 μm.
Length 213-225 µm, width 41-44 µm.

Stigmata visible near the central nodule.

According to Diatoms of Europe vol.3 by Kurt Krammer, 2002, it looks like Cymbella peraspera:
“Valves moderately to distinctly dorsiventral, dorsal margin rather evenly arched, ventral margin with a slightly gibbous central portion. Valve ends not protracted and broadly rounded. Length (130)154-320 µm, breadth 44-52 µm, maximal length/breadth ratio about 6. Axial area moderately wide, linear, widening at mid-valve to form a shallow central area, about ¼ to nearly ⅓ of the valve breadth. Raphe slightly lateral, tape ring near proximal and distal ends, becoming filiform near the proximal and the distal ends. Proximal raphe ends with moderately large roundish central pores which are slightly ventrally deflected; terminal fissures sickle-shaped and dorsally bent. Striae throughout radiate. Puncta distinctly and more or less roundish in focus high and low. A large number of stigmata on the ventral side of the central nodule, in focus low differently shaped from the puncta, commonly distant from the middle ventral striae. Striae 5-8/10 µm, becoming up to 10/10 µm near the extremities. Puncta 7-10(11) in 10 µm.”

The Saola was only discovered to science in 1992. There are no Saola in captivity. No Saola have been seen by scientists in the wild. A few records on camera trap exist. In 2004, there were still reports of Saola deep in the Truong Son mountains. This individual was confiscated from hunters in A'Luoi district, in the western reaches of the province. The other pictures are from interviews with Ka Tu ethnic hunters in A'Luoi and A'Vuong districts (Minh Hoang). The last photo is James with rangers from Hue Forest Department examining Saola tracks in A'Luoi - and identifzing schistamoglottis plants, reportedly favoured food for the saola.

In 2013, its status is critical. See what is happening on http://www.savethesaola.org/

Date is approximate. 3 individuals (2 males & 1 female) seen sometime in April, 1987. My mother and father (@dmpeterson ) were living in Monteverde in the spring of 1987, staying with the Gavin family. I have been digitizing their old slides, and thought these ones were significant, so I uploaded them. The date and location are approximate, based on their best recollection.

Grape hawk #6 reared

25 June 2017:

I am trying to learn how to tell the small annual invasion of similar but (I suspect) different hawk moth caterpillars on my grapevine apart. Today I collected #6 of my experiment.

22 July 2017:

The caterpillar spun a loose cocoon among bits of frass and food plant at the bottom of its tub.

5 September 2017:

Adult moth emerged.

Die Überraschung des Tages dieser 27mm große Necydalis major flog auf meine Hose und liess sich ausgibig (39) fotografieren.

The surprise of the day, this 27mm tall Necydalis major flew on my pants.
20 of 39 pictures

ab. arete (Muller 1764)

I wouldn't normally photograph a butterfly as worn as this, but it attracted my attention because of its very unusual wing markings, which are reduced to small white points with no encircling gold rings. This aberration was first described by the Danish entymologist Otto Friedrich Müller in 1764.

My garden, Gilwern, Wales, UK.

An example of Myrmecophily
The butterfly Plebejus argus larva developed in the Lasius niger anthill, secreting substances that ants really like. This is a very young butterfly, her wings are not yet fully spread, and so far she cannot fly away. But probably, she also secretes a substance pleasant to the ants, and the ants, taking this opportunity, lick it.