Beetles & Trees
On one of the very narrow lanes that I cycle along there have been some rather large trees cut down and now there’s a whole minature forest of what I assume to be aspens as there are many aspens in this region.
It took the unsuccessful pursuit of a dragonfly to get me to down to the right level to notice quite a large number of these Poplar Leaf Beetles milling about in this tiny woodland…at first I was more into their colouration and the way the light caught it against the algae background…but when I uploaded the images onto my PC, I was totally amazed when I saw their intricate lattice-work feet… 😎
Crash Landing
These beetles definitely lack grace in flight…in the recent warm weather there were plenty on the heath flying about and it’s a good idea to get out of their way as they seem rather limited when it comes to steering….and landing… 😕
A Precarious Ascent
On my arrival at the marsh I decided to relax a bit in the sun at the pumphouse yet in my immediate vicinity there were many invertebrates already demanding my attention…
In a short space of time I met a few beetles, a weevil and a caterpillar before this strikingly adorned longhorn beetle took centre stage, he scurried across the wooden platform and began to climb the pumphouse…he was like a hobbit with a mission…
In fact this ascent began to bear a remarkable resemblance to a certain hobbity adventure I remember…
Longhorn was starting to find that things were getting a little sticky along the way…
But on his arrival at the “cave” next to the window frame “Esmerelda” was ready and waiting… 😕
After a fleeting struggle, Longhorn freed himself from the spiders clasp, leapt spectacularly from the wall, down onto the wooden platform to promptly make his escape to live another day. 🙂
Beetlemania
Suddenly these soldier beetles seemingly appeared from nowhere…from one day to the next they were present in each and every cow parsley flower I came across. In the above image it is readily apparent why these beetles are known as leatherjackets.
These beetles are quite active in their search for nectar amongst the blooms and can be quite amusing as they appear to stumble and sometimes even fall in their clumsy quest for nutrition…
Meanwhile, On the Ground…
Mostly my gaze is fixed on the sky and treetops for the birds which be may be present or suddenly appear…but I occasionally glance downwards to check where I’m walking as I really don’t want to step on anything…
This rather large beetle caught my eye one day as I checked the path ahead….I just had time to get my settings right and press once on the shutter-realease before the subject crawled quickly out of sight and safely back into the undergrowth.
a heartical view 