#dock bug

[dansnaturepictures]

A look back on my 2024: Part 2 of 3-Mammals, dragonflies and damselflies, beetles and others

Another very strong mammalian year in which I saw my highest ever amount of species in a year centred on adorable Red Squirrels as I was lucky to observe them in Scotland and on Brownsea Island. Scotland was an incredible time with so many mammals observed; Stoat and Brown Hare adding to the magic of the wild cottage with lots of wildlife around to see that we stayed in and simply breathtaking wild experiences watching Bottlenose Dolphins on the Moray coast and a Mountain Hare in the Highlands. Roe Deer at the cottage and Red Deer during the week were other highlights with both species key to my year overall with amazing local Roe Deer views and the Bushy Park Red Deer and Fallow Deer experience which was great again in September. I had an amazing year for Stoats seeing two at Rutland Water in July as well and as my fortunes of seeing these species has taken an upturn the past year and a half we got fantastic Weasel views at Bempton Cliffs. We saw Field Voles really well there and got exceptional immersive views of Grey Seals at Flamborough Head. It was a splendid seal year with superb views of Common Seals on the Beaulieu River and in Newtown Harbour on the Isle of Wight on a boat trip in a strong run of mammals standing out in September. A Water Shrew was a surprise first for me as I waded through a flooded path at RSPB Radipole Lake in January and I was overjoyed to see a Water Vole at Rutland Water. Closer to home Fallow Deer and Sika Deer have been great to see in Hampshire and Dorset, with impressive home views of Hedgehogs and I had a magical year of observing beautiful Foxes with top sightings at Southsea and Hook-with-Warsash.

Perhaps unexpectedly again with similar to butterflies as mentioned in my last post a few species I really needed to work for this year I saw my highest ever amount of dragonflies and damselflies this year. It was a green dream for odonata in 2024 with a big moment seeing my first ever Downy Emerald dragonfly at Bentley Wood in May and both Emerald Damselfly and Willow Emerald Damselfly seen at Thurley and Fishlake Meadows respectively. Common, Ruddy and Black Darter gave me thrilling moments this year as did Black-tailed Skimmer with an especially good view of a female at Testwood Lakes and Keeled Skimmer. I was captivated by watching Golden-ringed Dragonflies at Winnall Moors, Testwood Lakes and Fen Bog Nature Reserve. Hawkers owned the summer with a strong couple of months or so seeing Migrant Hawkers and Southern Hawker and Brown Hawker enjoyed too. Azure, Blue-tailed and Large Red Damselflies were also very pleasant to see.

Beetles I suppose took another step up in importance for me this year as I kept a year list of ones I could identify for the first time ever recording twenty species. Green Immigrant Leaf Weevil, Violet Oil Beetle, Bloody-nosed Beetle, Tawny Longhorn beetle and Devil’s Coach Horse Beetle were some of my favourite finds. Once again cantharis rustic soldier beetle, Common Red Soldier beetle, Red-headed Cardinal beetle, Black-and-yellow Longhorn beetle, Swollen-thighed beetle and treasured views of epic Green Tiger Beetles at Bentley Wood in my home area, Strathdearn in Scotland and Fen Bog Nature Reserve in Yorkshire brough vibrant colour to my spring and summer. Dor beetles, ladybirds, Garden Chafer Beetle and Common Malachite Beetle were more delights seen this year.

Some other key species of my year included fascinating Hornet Mimic Hoverfly and Lesser Hornet Hoverfly in the summer, Marmalade Hoverfly, a notable amount of Common Lizards in the summer, frogs and frogspawn, the indomitable Long-winged Conehead one of my key crickets/grasshoppers of the year at Lakeside and Milford on Sea, Mottled shieldbugs, Dock bug, Forest bug, Grey Silverfish and spiders including Long-bodied Cellar spiders at home, lots of snails enjoyed at home and a fascinating Ambersnail seen at Winnall Moors in the summer.

The photos in this set are of; Keeled Skimmer dragonfly at Brownsea Island in September, Common Darter dragonfly at Lakeside in August, Willow Emerald Damselfly at Fishlake Meadows in October, Red Squirrel on Brownsea Island in September, Stoat at Rutland Water in July, Garden Chafer beetle at Magdalen Hill Down in May, Tawny Longhorn beetle on scabious at Shipton Bellinger in August, Hornet Mimic hoverfly at Stockbridge Down and Ambersnail at Winnall Moors in August, Fallow Deer in the New Forest on Good Friday and Long-winged Conehead at Lakeside in August.

[unkn0wnvariable]

Dock Bug

A dock bug feeding on a persicaria flower, at RSPB Ouse Fen.

[petec9099]

This may be the last time

[annina-dietzenbacher-photography]

Coreus marginatus, Cité de la musique

Annina Dietzenbacher - October 2023

[photographe-a-roulettes]

Punaise brune - C'est une des punaises les plus communes de France. Elle peut mesurer jusqu'à 15mm sans les antennes.

Lieu : Chez moi, Hauts-de-France

[kittehbiscuits]

Doc Ock Beetlejuice... aughh... I rendered something for the first time in a really long time and I am very sleepy now uhhnsncjk I hopenyou like the gtuy

[sandpaperoctopi]

little guy who fell out of my hair and then went for a stroll on my sleeve

[stevethehairington]

it is barely 8 am and the univer is t e s t i n g me i SWEAAAAAAR

[owormy]

dock beetle 🪲

[funkbun]

📁‼️

All modern grumpuses carrying a "Tail Gene", even if the grump themself doesn't have a tail. Here's a very quick lil explanation of grumpus tail stuff :V

Grumpus tails typically look like "Basic Mammal" (for lack of a better word lol) tails that are completely covered in fur with varying lengths, or are similar to hairless rat tails.

[arcxnumvitae]

Oh dear, it looked as if he didn't have a way back onto the Aegis. That could present a problem. Still, "How hilarious!"

[anonmonitor]

Looking closer at the new lightcycle designs and they have 2 discs?????

[fayemouse]

In your dreams, of course, none of this happened.

Soft grass bends under a not-too-warm sun. A blanket laid out with a small spread, the cucumber sandwiches too cute with their crusts cut off, and a friendly laugh combine into a perfect day. The wind blows through your hair and lifts the corners of the blanket.

You lay on the grass. It's a relaxation you've needed. A stark contrast to the past -- gods, how many months?

There's a soft tickle on your arm, and you try to brush it off. A small prickling sensation sticks to you. As you look down, you see six legs twitching from a tiny abdomen. Your nails fruitlessly dig around the stuck creature, covering your fingertips in bright crimson.

You finally get a grip on the creature, pulling at it and exposing a large fleshy head embedded deep in your arm. The wind picks up, and a cold rain falls on you, making your fingers slip and the creature burrows deeper. You hear your heart in your ears, thudding away.

Then, you awaken.

There's a sheen of sweat on your skin. You're all goosebumps. Your mouth is dry.

It's cold in your cell. Not just the cold of loneliness, but the result of a constant flow emitted by the HVAC vent over your head. You start to shiver as you try to pull yourself out of bed.

You walk the whopping 5 feet over to the sink and cup your hand under the faucet, the eldritch gnaw of your dream's creature replaced by the existential gnaw of now two skipped meals.

The door to your cell is solid metal. Even still, you spend plenty of time just looking at it as if you could see through it, get any outside stimulus. The only thing you can do is what you always do when you're in confinement: count cinder blocks.

Each number in your head was like a peck in the shell around you. You try to make each one count, percussively pressing your lips together to manifest breaking out of the shell. 45, 46, 47, 48. You'd count around the doorframe 100 more times if you could use each number to hammer away at the cement.

You cannot express how much you hate being alone. You're not the biggest people-person, but the lack of changing external stimulus wears on you much more quickly than you'd like to admit.

Time passes so strangely without that context. You're not sure when you fell asleep, and the constant electrical murmur of the florescent bulbs never stops whispering in your ear, never stops reminding you that you don't know how long it's actually been. More from boredom than anything else, you lay back in bed.

You wish you could stop shivering.

[devotedlystrangewizard]

el pov angle had me stunned but hi hey hello why am i giggling

[thecedarchronicle]

path of terra has me min-maxxing jorvik shillings like an oil baron. 10/10

[hauntedfalcon]

*slides game designers any Jane Jacobs book* please read this before you make urban maps