I came home a couple of hours ago, after an hour of photographing and sniffing around the small yellow flowers and relatively big, annoying thorns of the Paliurus spina-christi plant.
In this opening photograph, you can see the Maniola jurtina, one of the butterflies that were enjoying their dinner there. For the following enlargeable photograph ...
(Enlargeable)
... I walked a step or two backward, unmounted the macro lens, put a bit of distance between the insect and me, and took a wider shot that shows a bit more of the plant from the title and the forest behind it.
This particular Paliurus spina-christi grew at the edge of the meadow, among the shrubs and trees that form the dense green wall around the patch of open grassland.
(Enlargeable)
Soon a strange, elongated insect entered the scene and started feeding on the flowers that look like little stars. This is the Gasteruption assectator, a wasp (or more precisely a wasp-like Hemiptera) from the Gasteruptiidae family. Gasteruptiidae, commonly known as Carrot wasps, can be easily mistaken for Ichneumon wasps. In fact, I was pretty sure that I'm photographing one of those. Only later, at home, while preparing this post I found out the right family and a bit later, the exact species too.
The females lay their eggs in the nests of solitary bees, where once hatched, the larvae feed on the offspring of the bee.
In this, more or less accidental shot, I caught the Gasteruption assectator in flight, on its way to another flower.
I saw many Formica fusca workers running around and collecting the nectar.
Here you can see the Maniola jurtina in the company of another, considerably smaller butterfly ...
... the Satyrium ilicis.
A couple of minutes later, on one of the neighboring branches ...
... I photographed this moth. The family is definitively Geometridae, but I'm not sure about the species. It could be the Idaea dilutaria. Maybe.
(Enlargeable)
This small bee ...
(Enlargeable)
... was the last insect that I photographed today.
Lasioglossum malachurum is the name of this species from the Halictidae family. These bees build underground nests and live in colonies with queens and workers, but the differences between the castes aren't as significant as in honey bees.
(Enlargeable)
AND THAT'S IT. WITH THIS CLOSING PORTRAIT OF THE SATRYUM ILICIS BUTTERFLY, IS TIME TO END THE POST. AS ALWAYS HERE ON HIVE, THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MY WORK - THE END.
Excellent informative post, best regards @borjan.
Thank you. 🙂 Glad you like the post.
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Beautiful @borjan so times you find so much insects… such a diversity. Great capture of all of them.
Hope you didn’t hurt yourself with the thorns.
Have a great evening!
I always get a bit of pain around those thorny plants. 😃The experience isn't complete without that.
Hahaha 🤣 yep… it is worth it though 😎
Excellent informative post, best regards @borjan.
I saw some amazing shots!
This photo is wow.
Sometimes accidental stuff ends up being better than the stuff I planned. 😃I was photographing the insect on the flower. As I pushed the button the Hemipteran flew away and this shot happened.
Very beautiful and very detailed butterfly photography is visible. You Doing photography very well
It's amazing, you can take pictures of clay insects without disturbing their activities.
Yes, I can. 😃 .... sometimes ... not always.
It must have been very difficult to photograph it, but you did it very well. Have a nice day.
Thanks. Have a nice day.
How do you photograph insects without disturbing them?
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I approach them very slowly or wait in a strategic place for them to come close to me.
Hello dear friend @borjan good afternoon
What beautiful shots you present us in this opportunity, how many pollinating creatures have you found, I had never heard of carrot wasp before, it looks very beautiful
I appreciate that you let us know these beautiful shots
have a beautiful afternoon
Thanks 🙂Have a great Wednesday.
the insects do look very beautiful that perch on the leaves and flowers.
I love to see the bee , to think that these animals have so much influence in nature and some people are killing it , sometimes I think , because some people are so destructive , or they do it because they have nothing else to do , it sounds ugly but it's true, they don't have to do, so they work doing nonsense
The yellow butterflies and other insects are very beautiful in that forest
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