Every picture tells a story
Dragonfly wings are thin and light and have a corrugated-like structure. There are lots of tiny cells between numerous veins and cross veins, which together form a stiff, yet relatively … Continue Reading Dragonfly wings: tried and tested over millennia!
Just as you think the butterfly season is coming to an end, some second generation individuals appear. I was very happy to come across these second brood Brown Argus (Aricia … Continue Reading Small, brown and moving north!
One day, earlier in the summer (on 28th June 19), I came across huge numbers of common blue damselflies (Enallagma cyathigerum) which had emerged from a lake – Felmersham gravel … Continue Reading Mating damselflies; there’s a lot going on, unseen!
Courtship in pierid butterflies, such as brimstones, is usually fairly brief, but can nevertheless, feature some interesting interactions. I happened across a short, unsuccessful courtship in this pair of common … Continue Reading Courting brimstones: wing walking
I was very fortunate, I think, to come across this mating pair of bumblebee hoverflies (Volucella bombylans), which are well-known mimics of bumblebees. The interesting thing is that they were … Continue Reading Polymorphic mating in bumblebee hoverflies
This month (July), we have seen the appearance of many bright orange comma butterflies; the so-called, hutchinsoni form of Polygonia c-album. These lovely orange-coloured butterflies are the first brood to … Continue Reading Carefree commas!
What I love about macro photography is that it allows you to enter the world of the insect; at least for an instance. It gives us a glimpse of lives … Continue Reading Tiny other lives – photographic insights into insect worlds
Meadow brown (Maniola jurtina) butterflies, must, I think, be one of the most common and widespread butterflies in Europe. I am surprised therefore, not to be able to find any … Continue Reading Courtship bowing in meadow browns
The Rio Sor or Sor Mañón is a small, tranquil river which flows between the provinces of A Coruña and Lugo, in Galicia, NW Spain.It flows north into the Bay … Continue Reading A stroll along the Rio Sor looking for butterflies
I came across a pair of large skippers (Ochlodes sylvanus) joined in copula. The female usually carries the male in skippers, as shown below. The female is on top, basking … Continue Reading Coitus interruptus or coitus disturbus?!
I came across this big blister beetle today. It was walking though the grass near the top of a local look out point called Mirador da Miranda, above the town … Continue Reading Big blistering beetle
You have to be a pretty good photographer – well phenomenally good actually! – to try and identify this species of hoverfly via a photograph (Syrphus sp. maybe S. ribesii). … Continue Reading Musings on a syrphid
Spring is a lovely time. Things start growing again. Buds, flowers, delicate green leaves, new shoots. Life renewing itself. A good time to get out and take some pictures. Photograph … Continue Reading Images of Spring
We have heard a lot about climate change in the last few weeks (April 2019) with protests by Extinction Rebellion activists in London and the incredible teenager, Greta Thunberg reading … Continue Reading Butterflies and climate change
The upper wing surfaces of butterflies are often brightly coloured and visually highly apparent (above), whilst the undersides are usually fairly dull and inconspicuous (below). Although this characterisation is a … Continue Reading How to build a butterfly!
Anyone who has ever sat and watched dragonflies flying over a pond; turning back and forth and darting up to investigate an intruder, will not be surprised to learn … Continue Reading Dragonfly eyes
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Lost Cities. Forgotten Spaces. Curious Places.
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a linguist writes about Spanish
Every picture tells a story
The not so ordinary wildlife of an ordinary (but scruffy) garden
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The way I see the world around me...
and other Lepidoptera
Exploring the natural world.
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Ecology, Conservation & Insects
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