This Sunday was sunny, comfortably warm but not hot. The summer is slowly ending, the outdoor temperature has reached the perfection. Great time to walk around and enjoy the nature.
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Like many times before, I went on a drive with a couple of friends, around the central part of the peninsula on which we live.
When we stopped after 40 - 50 kilometers of northbound driving, on the large open meadow near some small village ...
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... I found this larva of the bagworm kind.
I don't know the exact species, but I can tell you that a larva like this one, must be the larval stage of some moth from the Psychidae family.
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I encounter this species often, in my seaside area as well, but ...
... the larva is usually closed inside the little casing made of elegantly shaped pieces of dried out vegetation.
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The structure is a very fine work. The straws are all the same size - I mean, they definitively look like perfect copies. The thing is put together with impressive expertise.
On these photographs, you can see the larva climbing on the leaves and stems of grass, but ...
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... I first encountered it on the lower branch of some small shrub. At one point, while crawling across the foliage, the larva fell on the ground ... and you saw the rest.
When I noticed this interesting planthopper, I was still sitting in the same place.
I can't tell you the exact species, haven't found it on the Internet. When it comes to the Family, I'll say - maybe Delphacidae, but I'm far from sure about it.
The first two photographs were taken with flash on, it was easier to show all the details that way. But I took another shot using only the natural light, before driving away. The following photograph ...
... was taken when we stopped again, another 10 - 20 kilometers further.
This is the nymph of the Raglius alboacuminatus, a bug from the Lygaeidae family. After a bit of walking ...
... about a hundred meters further along the narrow country lane ...
... I came across a bunch of moths flying around the dense, intricate vegetation.
This is the Euclidia glyphica, a moth from the Erebidae family.
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The night was approaching, the place was in the shade, so taking this shot with natural light only, needed a lot of patience ... and dozens of blurred photographs.
After more walking, over a small hill ...
... I came across this beautiful, tall plant ...
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... the Verbascum densiflorum ...
... and here, on the hairy, carpet - like surfaces of this interesting plant. ...
... I found a nice variety of insects.
This is the Oecanthus pellucens, a tree cricket species.
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On this photograph, you can see three crickets communicating. I didn't have time to record a video, because the chirping didn't last long, but believe me, they were creating some lovely, bird - like sounds.
On another large leaf, closer to the ground ...
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... I found this European lanternfly, the Dictyophara europaea.
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This is a pretty unique planthopper for this area. I never encountered any similar species.
This, much smaller leafhopper, don't know the exact species ...
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... the Family is probably the Cicadellidae, was photographed on the same leaf, and then ...
... the insect jumped on the dry stem ...
... of some plant nearby.
There was something interesting on every leaf.
This shieldbug ...
... is the Rhaphigaster nebulosa, commonly known as the mottled shieldbug.
Here you can see another tree cricket, and then, through a hole made by some small leaf eater, you can see a fragment of yet another cricket of the same species, the Oecanthus pellucens.
This is the Lygus pratensis, a small bug from the Miridae Family. Photographed pretty high on the plant.
A small parchment of this leaf was partially eaten. Only a translucent layer ... of something ... was left.
Here is yet another tree cricket found on the foliage.
These crickets were everywhere.
After taking this photograph, I left the plant. Joined the friends scattered around me, not very far, and we walked to the car.
This small moth from the Yponomeutidae Family was photographed along the way. The moth was caught by some well camouflaged crab spider. I noticed this detail only later, at home, while preparing this post.
The day was ending, and the plan was to drive straight home ...
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... but when we saw a group of horses by the road ...
... we stopped again.
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It was a perfect way to end a lovely, relaxed day ...
... and then, not too bad as an ending of this post.
And that's it ...
... as always in these posts on HIVE, the photographs are my work - THE END.