Lmst

The blueberry thief is slow but cunning...
#snails #snailsunday #minibeasts #gardens

A #Scorpionfly is a scary-looking #insect, thanks to that long, mandible-bearing 'beak' or rostrum—and of course the male's tail, which inspired the name given to these creatures. The 'stinger' is in fact a genital capsule or bulb, bearing two 'pincers' (gonostyli); it's used for mating, and for defaecation (pic 3). Females (pic 4) lack this bulb. Feeding mostly on other #insects, usually dead ones, these #minibeasts are harmless to us Humans.

#Wildlife #Nature #NaturePhotography #InsectWeek

Side-on view of a male Scorpionfly on a Bramble leaf. His small, dark head bears a long, brownish 'beak' or rostrum, at the end of which are the mouthparts; also two long, black antennae. The longish body is mostly whitish in colour, with black along the underside of the abdomen; the legs are mostly a pale brown, but black towards the feet. We see the wings at an angle in this view but they appear greyish, with black markings; they are about the same length as the body. Finally, the very end of the tail is curved upwards and back towards the body; the first segments of it are quite thin but at the end is a larger, reddish bulb which at first sight appears to be tipped with a small, dark-coloured sting.

In this photo we looking down onto a male Scorpionfly on a Bramble leaf; he is facing towards us and to the left. His small, dark head bears a long, brownish 'beak' or rostrum, at the end of which are the mouthparts; also two long, black antennae. We can't see much of the longish body beneath the long wings which are held over it; they are greyish with black veins and larger black speckles and blotches. The legs are mostly a pale brown, blacker towards the feet. Although most of the body is obscured we can see the upturned, curled-over end of the tail with its large, reddish bulb tipped with a pair of small, dark-coloured 'pincers' (actually gonostyli).

Looking down on a male Scorpionfly perched on the edge of a Bramble leaf. He is facing away from us so we cannot see much of the long 'beak' or rostrum on his otherwise small head, but we can see the long, dark-coloured antennae. Some of the insect's brownish legs are also visible, and we have a clear view of the long wings; greyish with black veins, speckles and blotches, they are partly outstretched. The top parts of the thorax and abdomen, which are mostly black but with some paler markings, are therefore visible. As too is the 'tail' at the end of the abdomen, which here is stretched out to its fullest length. It consists of a couple of fairly thin, dark-coloured segments and is tipped with a reddish bulb, from which two short, dark 'spikes' (gonostyli) point outward. The Scorpionfly is in the act of exuding a drop of reddish-coloured fluid from the tip of that bulb.

A female Scorpionfly, perched vertically on the left side of a grass stem with her head uppermost; we see her partly from the side and partly from above. Her small head bears a long, brownish 'beak' or rostrum and a pair of long, dark-coloured antennae. What we can see of her body is mostly whitish or a pale yellow in colour, with thick black markings along the dorsal surface of the abdomen. The long wings, folded back along the body, are greyish with black veins, speckles and blotches. The very end of the abdomen, the 'tail', consists of three reddish-coloured segments.

Busy #Bee, snoozing #Swan. From #minibeasts to big #birds, and from super-busy to super-sleepy, the #wildlife of Brandon Marsh near Coventry gave me lots to focus my camera on today. How was your day - did you work tirelessly or put your feet up and take it easy?

#bees #insects #bird #birds #vogels #Nature #NaturePhotography #Natur #NaturFotografie #WildlifePhotography

A Honey Bee enjoying a Bramble flower. We see Bee and flower side on in this photo, the Bee is on the right side of the photo facing towards the left, her head nearly buried in the mass of stamens (each consisting of a longish white filament tipped with a dark, round anther) rising from the centre of a white-petalled flower. The Bee has a dark head with black eyes, clear, black-veined wings and black legs extending from a dark-coloured, hairy thorax, and a honey-coloured abdomen circled with black bands, which are thicker towards the tip.

A Mute Swan at rest while floating on the water. The rear end of the Swan, with one large, black, webbed foot raised up on the left side, is facing towards us in this picture. At the other end of the body, the Swan's necked is turned so that her head is resting on her back, with the end of her orange beak tucked into her white feathers.

My wife's books for kids 3 to 5 and 6 to 9/ 10 are available to buy via Waterstones
https://www.waterstones.com/book/aggi-and-the-mystic-boots/rachel-cladingbowl/harriet-jones/9781838290603

https://www.waterstones.com/book/blakes-small-adventure/rachel-cladingbowl/harriet-jones/9781838290610

#microbiology #biology #protists #kidslit #books #xmas23 #fedigiftshop #dinosaurs #story #scicom #science #microbes #minibeasts

Please retoot!

Aggi and the Mystic Boots & Blakes small adventure books with two microscopes and Aggi stuffed toy.

I made a new friend today. Can anyone help identify it? 🙏
#Invertebrates #minibeasts #caterpillar #Nature #Butterflies

A pale yellow caterpillar, with fine black stripes and lots of white fuzz.

The same caterpillar from a different angle.

Male and female #tardigrades are essentially indistinguishable, so how do they tell the sexes apart? Well, it turns out that female tardigrades can smell both sexes, hanging out with both, but males ignore other males and are only attracted to the scents of females

#olfaction #neuroethology #biology #minibeasts #zoology #science

https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/226/18/jeb246664/329431