Mastodawn

And while I did venture out into the garden today, it was far too hot for me & seemingly also so for many insect friends.

So it's back to pictures taken on the Königstuhl earlier this week.

First, a small, colourful Arched Marble, a kind of tortrix moth (Olethreutes arcuella; 🇩🇪 Prachtwickler).

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

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Mark McCaughrean 17h ago

There are many moths in & around the forest atop the Königstuhl 🌳🌲

This is another example – it's an August Thorn (Ennomos quercinaria; 🇩🇪 Eichen-Zackenrandspanner), which is widespread in western Europe, but not particularly common.

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Mark McCaughrean

On a smaller scale & with its wings rolled tightly around it, giving it a tubular form, this is a Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella; 🇩🇪 Traubenkirschen-Gespinstmotte).

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Mark McCaughrean 16h ago

And at the opposite extreme of wingspreading, there's this little chap, Idaea rusticata.

In English, it has the rather unassuming name of Least Carpet, while in German, it has at least five, including the rather impressive Braungebänderter Heckenlehnen-Kleinspanner 🇩🇪

So there.

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Mark McCaughrean 16h ago

Mind you, there are many other types of arthropod up in the forest 🌳🌲

Including this wasp, which was rushing around in the conifers, making it hard to get good photos, not least with a phone 🤷‍♂️

I think it's a Toothed Tiger Ichneumon (Amblyteles armatorius; 🇩🇪 Gelbe Schlupfwespe), & from the abdomen pattern, likely a female.

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Mark McCaughrean 16h ago

Somewhat more patient with the poorly-equipped photographer was this small beast.

It's a Red-spotted Plant Bug (Deraeocoris ruber; 🇩🇪 Rote Weichwanze), common around the edges of forests. Makes sense, as @mpi_astro is in the middle of one.

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Mark McCaughrean 16h ago

And finally for now, albeit inconclusively, this is a Eurasian field grasshopper, genus Chorthippus.

Of some kind.

It could be any of C. brunneus, C. mollis, or C. biguttulus, all of which were previously thought be a single species, Stauroderus variabilis.

They were later distinguished on the basis of their songs 🤷‍♂️🎶