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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · 5h

Wonderful side-by-side comparison!

Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · 5d

A windswept walk around Retford Cemetery yielded six species of shieldbug and six species of ladybird, mostly clinging to metal railings. Eyed Ladybird was a nice surprise!

#Coleoptera #Hemiptera

An eyed ladybird, with pale rings around its black spots, clings to a metal railing

A pine ladybird clinging to a railing. It’s an all black ladybird with red markings on the wing cases

A parent bug on a laurel leaf. It’s a reddish-brown bug with a black and yellow chequered pattern around the edge of its body

A green shieldbug clings to a metal railing, with a few 7-spot ladybirds nearby

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · 12d

Found a thriving colony of Bridge Orb-weavers, unsurprisingly under a bridge! They had been feasting on moths drawn to the lights.

#Spider #Wildlife

A bridge orb-weaver on her web under a bridge.

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Aug 27

Delighted to spot this little lizard basking on a fencepost at Minsmere this weekend. Even happier I got to point it out to a young child with their own camera.

#Reptile #Lizard #Wildlife

A common lizard curled up on top of a wooden fencepost

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Aug 13

Caught my first Dark Spectacle at the weekend. Handily also caught a Spectacle to see them side by side.

#TeamMoth #Lepidoptera #Moth

Dark Spectacle moth resting on a piece of bark

Spectacle moth resting on a piece of bark.

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Aug 10

Ran my second moth trap of the year last night in north Notts. Quieter than the first, with 133 moths of 43 species. This beautiful Orange Swift was one of the brightest of the bunch.

#TeamMoth #Lepidoptera

An Orange Swift moth resting on a piece of grey slate. It’s an orange-brown moth with pale-bordered dark markings on the wings

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 26

Such a gorgeous moth! I’ve seen the caterpillar but never the adult.

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 17

A nice surprise to see a couple of Silver-washed Fritillaries in Gamston Wood at the weekend.

#Butterfly #Lepidoptera #MacroPhotography

A silver-washed fritillary using its long proboscis to sip nectar from a purple flower

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Reposted by Tom Hibbert

Ian Andrews @suillia.bsky.social · Jul 17

Cimbex luteus (Willow Clubhorn) on Salix in the Howardian Hills today...there can't be many better looking sawfly larvae in the UK! #yorkshiresawflies #sawflies #symphyta #ukwildlife

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 16

One of my last stops in Dorset was Durlston Country Park, always a pleasure to visit. There were beautiful butterflies everywhere, but I was just as excited to see this chunky Iris Weevil, Mononychus punctumalbum.

#Coleoptera #Beetle #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey

An iris weevil preparing to plunge its long proboscis into a green iris

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Reposted by Tom Hibbert

VC40Ladybirds 🐞 @vc40ladybirds.bsky.social · Jul 15

The 14-spot's little smiley face is always endearing, but this one's pronotum pattern, which looks like ears, made it look even 'cuter' I think! 🥰 #VC40Ladybirds

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 15

One flew past me on my way to a pub a few weeks ago. Incredibly convincing hornet impression - if it hadn’t been so silent, I might have believed it!

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 15

Enjoyed a rare opportunity to put out a moth trap on Saturday night. It kept me busy, with 206 moths of 70 species to a Nottinghamshire garden! Several Ruby Tigers brought a beautiful splash of colour.

#TeamMoth #Lepidoptera

A ruby tiger moth resting on a piece of bark. It’s a bright red moth with a fluffy body.

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 14

Whilst in Dorset, I couldn’t resist visiting Crossways to see the Scarlet Darters. Such dazzling dragonflies!

Scarlet is a pretty fitting name, but even that doesn’t do them justice. They were radiant.

#Odonata #dragonfly #insect #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey

A scarlet darter, clinging to a plant stem with its wings held forward. It’s an intensely red dragonfly

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 13

The highlight of my recent holiday came at Studland (1/7), where I finally saw Heath Tiger Beetle! My third year of trying, but the weather finally cooperated.

Heath Bee-fly was a great bonus.

#Coleoptera #insect #MacroPhotography #Diptera #InvertOdyssey

Heath Tiger Beetle, black with pale markings on the wing cases, lifts itself high off the sand with its long legs.

Heath Bee-fly, fuzzy and sandy brown, with a long dark proboscis, sunning itself on the sand

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 12

The final part of my holiday was spent in Dorset. First stop, RSPB Arne (30/6).

I spent a long time captivated by the Beewolves and Green-eyed Flower Bees.

#wildlife #Hymenoptera #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey

A European beewolf, a slender wasp with black and yellow markings and a large yellow patch on the face, standing on bare ground looking into its burrow.

A green-eyed flower bee emerging from its burrow in sandy ground. It’s small, cute and fluffy with large green eyes

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 11

The next stop on my holiday was Furzey Gardens, Hampshire. Sadly too late for Scarlet Malachite Beetles, but I did see my first Rhododendron Leafhoppers, amongst some other new bugs and beetles.

#wildlife #bug #Hemiptera #InvertOdyssey

A rhododendron leafhopper, bright green with streaks of reddish-brown, rests on a green leaf.

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Reposted by Tom Hibbert

AJCann @ajcann.bsky.social · Jul 11

Adonis Ladybird, Hippodamia variegata.

#Beetles #Coleoptera #VC55 #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 10

After Kent, the next stop of my #InvertOdyssey was White Down in Surrey. I saw four species of Cryptocephalus, including two nitidulus!

Neither posed for a photo, unlike this Omaloplia ruricola and Crab Spider.

Saw one of the green Cryptos laying an egg, but not sure on species.

#beetle #spider

Omaloplia ruricola, a black chafer beetle with brown wing cases, separated by a thick black line, standing on a leaf

A crab spider with hoverfly prey in its clutches. The spider is yellow, camouflaging perfectly against yellow flowers

A shiny green and copper Cryptocephalus beetle standing on a leaf, holding an egg between its back legs as it coats it with faeces - creating the pot that gives these beetles their name.

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Reposted by Tom Hibbert

David W. Williams @vc40orthops.bsky.social · Jul 9

A Purple-bordered Gold, attracted to light at Whixall Moss NNR recently. One of the strongholds for this notable species, it was a 1st for me.

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 9

That’s not a moth, it’s a work of art!

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 9

Spent my last day in Kent (27/6) at RSPB Dungeness.

Took an hour to leave the car park! Too captivated with the Map Weevils around Viper’s Bugloss and Geotomus petiti under Stork’s-bill.

Other highlights were Cryptocephalus labiatus and Silis ruficollis.

#Coleoptera #Beetle #Bug #InvertOdyssey

A map weevil, with a long snout and intricate white patterns all over its brown body, clings to the hairy leaf of viper’s bugloss

Geotomus petiti, a tiny black shieldbug with spiny legs, stands on sandy ground surrounded by detritus

Cryptocephalus labiatus, a black pot beetle with paler legs and antennae, clings to the edge of a bramble leaf

Silis ruficollis, a slender black beetle with a red pronotum and long antennae, stands on a leaf

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 8

So excited to visit Sandwich Bay for the first time (25/6). Too many highlights to list, but searching Stork’s-bill revealed Lesser Streaked Shieldbug and Fallen’s Leatherbug.

Lots of Lepidoptera too, including Bright Wave and this incredible Emperor caterpillar

#Bug #TeamMoth #InvertOdyssey

Lesser streaked Shieldbug, a small, round brown bug with silver streaks, in a pot lid surrounded by detritus

Fallen’s Leatherbug, a mottled brown bug with a distinctive backwards v on the pronotum, walking across sand, surrounded by detritus

An emperor moth caterpillar resting on a leaf. It’s a bright green caterpillar with yellow bumps and long white hairs

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 6

Enjoyed a visit to the fantastic West Blean Wood on my trip to Kent (24/6).So many bugs, beetles and butterflies, including plenty of Heath Fritillaries.

Thrilled to see lots of Clytra quadripunctata and my first Cow-wheat Shieldbug.

#Bug #Beetle #Coleoptera #MacroPhotography #InvertOdyssey

Clytra quadripunctata, a black beetle with orange-red wing cases sporting black dots, clings to a leaf.

Clytra quadripunctata, a black beetle with orange-red wing cases sporting black dots, clings to a leaf, looking straight towards the camera.

A cow-wheat shieldbug, black with a white border and two white dots, clinging to the leaf of a cow-wheat plant.

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Tom Hibbert @wildlifetom.bsky.social · Jul 5

I spent another day on the North Kent Coast (23/6), with another frustratingly brief glimpse of Fiery Clearwing.

These young Swallows were much more cooperative, landing close enough for my 100mm macro lens!

#Wildlife #Bird #InvertOdyssey

Two young swallows perched in a bush, surrounded by green leaves, with blue sky behind them

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