reseda

I am a bio archeology lab tech with a life long passion for entomology. In spring 2020 I bought a small home within walking distance of a forest and moved out of the city on a bit of a whim. The introduction of working from home (and my home "lab" set up) meant I could finally properly combine work with my hobbies. I spent most of my free time outside, turning logs, chasing butterflies, picking bees off flowers (don't try with tiny Lasioglossum's), climbing over fences, on occasion getting lost.

In December 2022 I unfortunately got covid and after two years of trying to keep working part time, I was unable to keep on working by January 2025. I miss my job, and missed my walks even more. In early 2026 I started looking through my old pictures and wanted to share the joy and excitement of them with my friends - and maybe, hopefully, make new friends.

Most of my posts will be old observations from 2020 through 2022, some from as early as fall 2015 - most observations before that are not documented with photos, but to no one's surprise I bought a second hand DSLR with the wages of my first student job, specifically to take pictures of (mostly) invertebrates. Hopefully every now and then some new ones of the creatures living around my home for whom I have slowly been creating (since 2020) a little ecosystem on the pavement around my house. I am not able to step out my front door every day, but I am trying to take note of every small detail whenever I can go outside.

Wasp spider at the coast - i love orb weavers and always enjoy seeing one with a fresh catch !

(Agriope bruennichi, adult female)

Early bumblebee at the train station - they are great proponents of accessible public transport !

(Bombus pratorum, male imago)

Wasp beetle on elderberry, i used to think they were still very beetle like but seeing the picture as a small icon in my gallery i did wonder what wasp that was, good on you pall, good on you. I love mimicry !

(Clytus arietis, imago on Sambucus nigra)

Dark bush cricket nymphs on nettle.

(Pholidoptera griseoaptera, nymphs, on Urtica dioica)

Friend at the train station, a hedge brown.

(Pyronia tithonus, female imago)

Firebug ! I know some people find it a bit scary but i actually love finding them in big groups, no shade to this lonesome bug.

(Pyrrhocoris apterus, imago)

Last time i could walk on the beach - it was cold and windy and we didn't see much, but there are always brittle stars for those with eyes to see.

(Ophiura ophiura)

Vertebrates - on my arthropod blog ? !

Roe deer prints in the field, they cross the meadows to get to the rows of bramble next to the path.

(Capreolus capreolus)

Sixteen-spot ladybird, perhaps one of my favourite ladybird species.

(Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata, on Bellis perenis)

Red mason bee, more gingery than red though - you can see the horns on her head, between the eyes, for which she got her scientific name (bicornis).

(Osmia bicornis, female imago)

Green mint beetles after the rain.

(Chrysolina herbacea, female and male imago's, on Mentha spec.)

Bumble butt !! Common carder bee on my viper's bugloss, or maybe more so in it ?

(Bombus pascuorum, female imago, worker on Echium vulgare)

White bellied mining bee on sweet chervil

(Andrena gravida, female imago, on Myrrhis odorata)