James
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mrrhubarb.bsky.social
James
@mrrhubarb.bsky.social
35 followers 31 following 44 posts
I live in Berkshire, UK. All photos I post are taken by me.
I like colourful skies and creatures that are sufficiently slow-moving for me to find in the viewfinder... so there will be many more pictures of invertebrates than birds-in-flight for example. :)
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mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Rose chafer (Cetonia aurata)
The Rose chafer is common, but I’m always happy to see these beautiful metallic green insects, even if they do eat the petals of flowers… at least the diet of their larvae consists of leaf mould and other detritus so, overall, the damage they do is minimal.
February 7, 2026 at 5:59 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
One of the many different species of longhorn beetles, probably Rutpela (Strangalia) maculata: the Spotted Longhorn.
This was very active, they're quite fast runners, so I popped him into the fridge for ten minutes to make photography possible. The black and yellow colouration pattern roughly mimics that of wasps, presumably as defence against predators. The larvae live in decomposing wood, taking two to three years before pupating. The brief adult stage is over in about a month during which time they survive on pollen and nectar, find a mate and suitable place to lay their eggs.
February 6, 2026 at 2:37 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
A froghopper nymph on my thumb :)
Not normally seen as they do most of their development hidden in froth (cuckoo spit), baby froghoppers do look quite cute. (An adult was featured in an earlier post)
February 5, 2026 at 8:50 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Stag beetle in flight on a summer evening at dusk
Other beetles of a similar size (cockchafers) are hilariously clumsy, imagine a very tiny helicopter with a drunk pilot. So it was interesting to see how well-controlled the flight of a stag beetle can be. They employ a high angle of attack (to use aviation terms), this gives them a good amount of lift on the up-stroke of their wings as well as the downstroke. This beetle was systematically examining a fence, flying up and down, moving to the side a short distance and repeating its vertical scan, all the while maintaining a 15cm distance from the fence, presumably searching for a female he had detected by scent.
February 4, 2026 at 9:02 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
A potter wasp, possibly Eumenes coarctatus
Apologies for the state of my thumb, but it gives some idea of scale. These tiny, solitary wasps build neat flasks of sand and mud in which a small paralysed caterpillar is stored: the food supply for a single wasp grub.
February 3, 2026 at 9:49 AM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDaP...
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Lyric Video)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
www.youtube.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:12 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
I had a bit of a challenge with depth of field in this shot of mating Rosemary beetles (Chrysolina americana)
I’d had a Rosemary bush for about 15 years before seeing any of these iridescent green and purple striped beetles… then there was an invasion in the early 2000s. Fortunately, the numbers didn’t get too high for the damage they do in my herb patch to become a major problem. Despite the Latin name, they’re native to Europe, not either of the American continents.
February 2, 2026 at 10:39 AM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Chafer beetle larvae from my compost heap. There are a few species that look very similar at this stage of development, but these are probably cockchafers as they’re fairly large.
I offered a few to the robin who usually turns up if he sees me in the garden. He was delighted… but only ate the heads.
February 1, 2026 at 10:11 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Woodlouse Spider: Dysdera crocata
Two shots of a female (I presume, since this was about 15mm long) woodlouse spider. The second shot was after the flash of the first photo and she’d tried to hise beneath her legs. The powerful fangs (chelicerae) are disproportionately large compared to most spiders, but ideal for puncturing their favourite prey. They will take other invertebrates such as centipedes and spiders, but tend to live in proximity to decaying leaf litter and wood where woodlice are common.
January 31, 2026 at 9:33 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Love this Twitch streamer!
www.twitch.tv/courtneyviss...
CourtneyVisser - Courtney wonders where baby jellyfish come from
Watch CourtneyVisser's clip titled
www.twitch.tv
January 31, 2026 at 9:49 AM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Shield bugs: Coreus marginatus
A pair of brown shield bugs mating on rhubarb flowers. A rather impersonal method of coupling, but it seems to work for them.
January 30, 2026 at 9:16 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/01...
January 30, 2026 at 9:46 AM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Stag beetle
Some early summer evenings in my garden are enlivened by a visit from stag beetles, usually one female and up to half a dozen hopeful suitors and a chaotic wrestling bout ensues. This one was very active so it was tricky to get a good photo. They often carry mites which are securely attached and don’t seem to cause them a problem, a couple are just visible on his middle leg.
January 29, 2026 at 10:03 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
An ant farming aphids on spinach beet
Black aphids in various stages of development from recently-birthed to the adult winged form (blackfly) with (lower centre) an ant enjoying the honeydew they produce. Plant sap contains low levels of proteinbut plenty of water and sugars so, for aphids to obtain enough protein they have to excrete the excess sugars. This attracts ants who provide some protection from predators in a mutually beneficial arrangement.
January 28, 2026 at 8:54 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Comma butterfly (and a tiny parasitic wasp photobomber which I didn’t notice at the time) 😅
Commas are named for the white squiggle on the underside of the wings. They do an excellent job of mimicking a dead leaf both in colouration and the scalloped shape of the wings. They habitually keep their wings closed when at rest, but the upper sides are prettier having shades of orange and brown with dark spots.
January 27, 2026 at 8:21 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Mosquito - I spent a while chasing it around the kitchen before if finally chose to stay still long enough for a photo… just above an embarrassingly dusty skirting board
This is probably culex pipens and has large feathery antennae, so it’s is a male. The females need a blood feed to produce eggs, the males stick to a vegetarian diet of nectar.
January 26, 2026 at 9:57 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Flower crab spider on a dandelion
Amazing little spiders that can change colour to blend in with their chosen flower. The front two pairs of legs are longer and more robust than the rear pair giving it a slightly crab-like appearance and to add to the resemblance they can walk sideways. They’re ambush predators rather than web-spinners, lurking and grabbing visiting insects - even those as large as a bumblebee.
January 25, 2026 at 11:52 AM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Nettle weevil on a rhubarb leaf.
Phyllobius pomaceus or, possibly glaucus, the species are a bit variable. A narrow green beetle about 11 mm long, with the head and thorax giving the appearance of a single tapered unit with the antennae emerging from the tip of its “nose”. The green colouration is due to clumps of hair-like scales which sprout over most of the insect’s body. On the elytra, these have narrow longitudinal stripes where the scales are absent revealing the shiny black surface beneath. As the insect ages, wear and tear knocks off the scales so the beetle loses its colouration, gradually becoming blacker. They can be something of a pest in the garden, particularly of fruit plants: the larvae live underground eating roots and the adults eat leaves and flowers.
January 24, 2026 at 9:56 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Broad-bordered yellow underwing
A side view of a sturdy, furry moth on my water butt late one evening in August. Its body is white underneath and orange on top, the wings are folded up showing the white tipped orange underside which has a large black patch near the outer edge. Also visible is part of the coiled tongue.
January 23, 2026 at 11:05 PM
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This is a bit of a mystery: some pea pasta I bought had a few instances of contamination with something. I wasn’t even sure if these were cocoons or faecal matter, but after keeping it slightly damp for a month, nothing changed.
Green fusilli pasta spiral with numerous tiny white extruded “poops” clustered at the end and along the grooves. These look very like the work of potter wasps (though much smaller at 2mm long) so might not be excreta. There were no signs of anything that might have produced them, so leave a comment if you think you might know!
January 23, 2026 at 1:09 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Another very geometrical insect: a Horned Treehopper (Thorn-hopper) on a raspberry plant stem last summer.
Two shots of a stocky brown insect resting in a head down position, the left image being a side view and the right image is a top view. The most striking feature is the pronotum (the back of the thorax) which has a narrow extension over the abdomen and also has two horny ear-like projections at the front. Treehoppers are about 10mm long, can fly as well as jump and are sap-suckers. They lay their eggs in plant stems.
January 22, 2026 at 9:57 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
A bumblebee dormitory 🙂
On a chilly morning in early summer I discovered groups of bumblebees huddled together in the big yellow courgette flowers in my veg patch. I didn’t know they did this, but it’s logical - shelter from the cold overnight and they warm up quicker when the sun appears… plus, they don’t even need to fly before finding breakfast.
January 21, 2026 at 9:20 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Knotgrass Moth caterpillar on spinach beet.
A large (25 mm) black caterpillar with stripes of white interspersed with red spots at each segment along its flanks. There is also a white dash on each segment on its back and numerous tufts of light brown hairs. The head, which it habitually holds in a hunched position, is towards the bottom of the image.
January 20, 2026 at 9:34 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Shield bugs are the Toblerone of the insect world… triangles are the basis of the design, at least in its adult form. Love those 1980’s shoulder pads. 😂
This is a frontal view of an adult Hawthorn Shieldbug (aka stinkbug) showing its triangular head/thorax. It is a bright, glossy green with reddish-brown tips to the widest part of the thorax and dozens of tiny dark pits. These sap-sucking bugs look very different in juvenile form… stay tuned, I’ll doubtless dig some examples out from my archive in the coming weeks.
January 19, 2026 at 8:23 PM
mrrhubarb.bsky.social
Another from a couple of years back: a mint moth on lemon balm (which grows like a weed in my garden).
These pretty moths have wings of muted purple with a black trailing edge, a gold "shawl" at the front and a few gold spots. The moth rests with its wings in a neat delta and the furry black body partially visible between. It's quite small at about one centimetre from tip to tail and flies by day. most summers there are dozens of them fluttering around my lemon balm (a member of the mint family).
January 18, 2026 at 5:37 PM