From the macro to the micro: jewels in the sand at Dune du Pilat. The dune is home to a variety of dull & not-so-dull 🐞#bugs, some of which we identified. Pyrrhidium sanguineum | the Welsh oak longhorn beetle sounds as if it’s far from home, but is actually common in much of Europe, where it prefers a supply of oak (📷1). Native Hylobius abietis | the large pine weevil is considered a pest on pine plantations, as they damage seedlings (📷2); the unsightly destruction of forest adjacent to the dune is however the result of fires in 2022 (& subsequent felling), triggered by human activity. Native Coccinella septempunctata | the seven-spotted ladybird is readily identified by counting the 3 spots on each red elytron, with the 7th spanning both (📷3). Native Cicindela campestris | the green tiger beetle is widespread across Eurasia (📷4).

🇫🇷#france 🇪🇺#europe 🚀#travel 🚐 #camperVan #nomad #roadTrip #vanLife