Warm memories of summers past

Images of undisturbed subjects in their natural environment. All subject types.

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MarkSturtevant
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Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
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Warm memories of summers past

Post by MarkSturtevant »

It is cold, with several inches of fallen snow. But I can always call up pictures and memories from past summer adventures.

A candidate for my favorite of all damselflies is the ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata). These are common along forest trails, especially near rivers where they spend their youth. This picture is focus stacked from two pictures.
ImageEbony jewelwing by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Big sands tiger beetle (Cicindela formosa). Not as common in my area as the similar festive tiger beetle, but C. formosa seems a bit larger. This one was unusually cooperative about being approached.
ImageBig sand tiger beetle by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
ImageBig sand tiger beetle by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Nymphs of the masked hunter assassin bug (Reduvius personatus) are virtually impossible to find, and you can see why. They will be concealed in whatever dirt or sand is local to their hunting ground. I only saw this one because it moved! The next picture shows an adult. Easy to see, and rather creepy looking, even by assassin bug standards.
ImageMasked hunter by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
ImageMasked hunter assassin bug by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

A common small jewel is the candy-striped leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea).
ImageCandy-striped leafhopper by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
ImageCandy-striped leafhopper by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

The odd-looking Gasteruptiid wasps are parasites on the nests of solitary bees and wasps. I always see them visiting small flowers of this sort. This one is Gasteruption sp. I don't know why they have their curiously long necks, but the second picture wordlessly suggests a reason.
ImageGasteruptiid wasp by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
ImageGasteruptiid wasp by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

I close with one of the strangest of all insects that I know. Blister beetles grow up as parasites on other insects. Oil blister beetles are parasitic on the nests of ground-nesting solitary bees. This female (Meloe impressus), is heavy with eggs. I know my finger is over-exposed, dang it! But she will lay her eggs in a mass in the soil, and the hatched larvae embark on a very strange life history. You can watch this video, if you wish to learn of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ8h1YBTSvE .
ImageOil blister beetle by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!
Last edited by MarkSturtevant on Wed Jan 27, 2021 10:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

Scarodactyl
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Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:26 am

Re: Warm memories of summers past

Post by Scarodactyl »

Beautiful pictures! You are braver than I wrt touching blister beetles.

JSkory
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:10 am
Location: Wixom, Michigan USA
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Re: Warm memories of summers past

Post by JSkory »

I never cease to be amazed by the various survival mechanisms that creatures have developed. Thank you for the link to that video on the blister beetles.

Beautiful pictures.

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