Photographs and descriptions of insects (other than butterflies – which have their own tag!) I have come across during my travels.
Water striders are not the easiest insects to photograph; they zip about on the surface of the water so a fast shutter speed is required. If you try hard enough, soon enough you get lucky and some of the images are in focus! I came across these insects on a small, fast flowing stream near…
Speckled Wood butterflies, Pararge aegeria, come in a variety of shapes and colours. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this species, is that it varies along a huge gradient (called a cline) from north to south, in Europe. In northern Europe (including parts of the UK), there is a darker subspecies (called P. a. tircis) whilst in southern…
The Southern Monarch butterfly, Danaus erippus (= Danaus plexippus erippus), is found in tropical and subtropical latitudes of South America, including Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The larvae feed on a variety of species, including milkweeds such as Asclepias curassavica. I took this photograph in Buenos Aires in the Spring (March 2012) and did not know…
This large wasp came flying around the corner like a helicopter and landed on the bank beside me. It was large and beautifully coloured, with toffee-brown legs and antennae and a black head and body. It was remarkably purposeful as it moved through the leaf litter searching for something. What, I only found out later,…
Ray Cannon's nature notes 