They say that the best camera is the one you have with you, so here are some best (😉) pictures of beasties on concrete atop the Königstuhl taken this sunny spring lunchtime with my phone 🤷‍♂️

First up, a very small spider, likely a juvenile zebra jumping spider (Salticus scenicus).

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#ArachnidsOfMastodon 🕷️
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Staying with spiders for a moment, this is very likely a wolf spider in the family Lycosidae.

But being more specific than that, e.g. identifying it as a thin-legged wolf spider (genus Pardosa) or even at the species level as the spotted wolf spider (P. amentata), say, is tricky 🤨

YMMV 🤷‍♂️

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#ArachnidsOfMastodon 🕷️
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

And moving on to things that fly, this is, umm, a cluster fly (genus Pollenia).

Again, a little tricky to be more specific as they all look fairly similar, but it might be the common cluster fly (P. rudis) or perhaps a vagabond cluster fly (P. vagabunda).

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

And finally something perhaps a bit easier to identify, both because of the markings & the name – this is a March dagger moth (Diurnea fagella), which peak strongly in, err, March.

Also known as the March tubic, in German it's the Buchenmotte or Sängerin.

Very likely a male, as females have much shorter wings & don't fly.

#Heidelberg 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲