EDIT: 03-10-2016
Apologies if you have received a notification of this update by mistake.
Following my last, rather dark update, I thought it was time to lighten up here a little and change the mood...
Apologies if you have received a notification of this update by mistake.
Following my last, rather dark update, I thought it was time to lighten up here a little and change the mood...
And remember; wherever you are in the world, and I know my little blog is read in at least 10 countries, we all laugh in the same language!
Stats for my last update
Just a thought: this is also ironic if you are smart enough?
This is a photograph of a female Misumena vatia crab spider that I took the other day. It is this species that can change colour from white to yellow and visa-versa. Whilst we are making merry with this particular update, perhaps it would be pertinent to mention that 'visa-versa" is also the title of a musical offering by German duo 'Funkstörung'. No? Well it made me chortle; I'm sure it must be an anagram of something rude!
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| The yellow version... |
I guess this won't be the case right across our British Isles, but here in Kent the last few days have been hot and very humid. I am not complaining of course; we have waited far too long for a taste of summer. It has left me feeling a little sluggish though...
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| Arion distinctus (probably) |
Yes it was a hot summer day when I photographed the slug; I hadn't intended such an exotic subject of course, but in the heat, it was all there was about. It really was a 'somnolent summer day', as they say (whoever they are).
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I know what you have been dying to ask me...
"What’s the difference between a pupa, a cocoon and a chrysalis?
How strange that you should ask me this at a time when I have been thinking about it too; here then, in layman's terms, is my very bestest go at an explanation:
Pupa and chrysalis have the same meaning: the transformation stage between the larva and the adult. While pupa can refer to this naked stage in either a butterfly or moth, chrysalis is strictly used for the butterfly pupa. A cocoon is the silk casing that a moth caterpillar spins around it before it turns into a pupa.
All of which is a sneaky way of linking to this small white chrysalis that I happened upon a while back...
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| Pieris rapae pupa (green form, there is also brown) |
I was able to witness this struggle to be free of the chrysalis casing when the adult butterfly emerged...
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| Pieris rapae |
It did eventually manage to extricate itself, and after a good long rest to recover from all the exertion, was on its way. Which is all good news of course, but, I know what you are thinking now: what does 'layman's terms' mean?
Why ask me? I am just a humble country boy, my knowledge is finite. Alright, I will have a bash as they say (there they are again).
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Let's start with the word layman: a person without professional or specialized knowledge in a particular subject.
Plain English (or layman's terms) is a style of communication that is easy to understand.
Back to the subject in hand then. The subject in my hand right now is 'BB' and I don't mean Bridget Bardot (ask grandad), nor Billy Bragg, neither Betty Boo. Nope, I am talking of the insect alliteration, Bumble Bee...
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| It seems to have been a good year for BB's this year |
'In the pink'...there's another little saying that has me wondering about its origin. Whilst I wonder, here's a pink bug...
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| Eurygaster testudinaria |
Not really a pink bug of course, only at this stage of development following a moult.
Maybe this next picture can out-pink the tortoise bug?
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| Mimas tiliae larva |
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| Sciurus vulgaris |
I was lucky enough to get a couple of hours at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey recently and I spent most of my time in the red squirrel enclosure.
They have this huge, sculpture I suppose you would call it, of a hedgehog at the entrance to the park. It is 7ft high and was built by UKTV to mark the second series of David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities.
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Here is what the adult tortoise bug will look like once it has coloured up, just in case you didn't know, which I am sure you did...
And at the other end of the scale, a teeny early instar of the same species...
Smaller still, by quite a margin actually, was this springtail...
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| Allacma fusca I think |
2 comments:
Love the teneral tortoise!! What a find! Didn't manage to see any whilst in Kent recently despite looking... Stunning images as usual of it, and everything else!
Love the giant hedgehog. What an incredible thing! The red squirrel is beautiful. If only there were more of them around... pleased you had a good time at the BWC. Somewhere I'd like to visit one day.
Not surprised so many people view your blogs! They're always informative, entertaining and illustrated throughout with amazing images and videos!
Mx
Yes, thought you might! You may not have found any in Kent, but you did find many goodies...;-) Yeah the BWC is a real nice place to spend time and well worth a visit.
Thanks so much for your lovely comments about this update and my blog in general. Much appreciated.
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