Still not done with painting crabs, here one I finished on Sunday :) I used my ink brush for the black and am very pleased with this - th ablack ink is just so much darker than the black gouache, makes the contrast pop much more than it otherwise would have!
As a wild card post before we head into crustacean month for #InsertAnInvert2024 -an animal jokingly known as the flying shrimp! My #linocut hummingbird clearwing moth (Hermaris thysbe) seeking pollen from cherry blossoms! The olive-headed burgundy moth has transparent wings (though colour can be variable). It beats its wings rapidly to hover above flowers, like a hummingbird, meaning it is often confused with a hummingbird or bee. 🧵
Nautilus have been around for hundreds of millions of years! They draw water into their shells & spit it out to move themselves through the ocean via jet propulsion. This is slower than swimming, but very efficient!
Spectacular weather out this morning for the final day of #InverteFest. I saw a lot of tiny wasps and a number of spiders, heard a chorus of frogs, saw many warblers and at least half a dozen garter snakes out.
Here's an Alagastica alni (Alder Leaf Beetle) I spotted today over at RHS Hyde Hall. Bit of a shame the metallic blue colour didn't really show through very well on this shot, but there are hints of it at least.
I found this large, conspicuous gall while out walking and after taking a few shots I started to wonder what it looked like inside. Since there was an exit hole, I thought, no one's inside, I'll just crack it open! 1/2
Except, someone else had moved in. Oops! I felt very sorry for destroying this little Tutelina spider's home. For a few minutes it remained huddled inside, giving me the stink eye. Eventually it grew braver and crept out to explore the broken gall.
Finally, it jumped onto my finger, and I returned it to the same branch as the gall. Hopefully it was able to find another good spot to hole up in. No more cracking open galls for me! 2/2
It's been a damp, chilly spring but the treehoppers are out! This is a keeled treehopper (Entylia carinata). They come in a variety of color morphs, from mostly cream colored to nearly black, but most of the ones I find around here have this mottled brown pattern.