#lowenstein — Public Fediverse posts

And speaking of bugs, I teased this one last week, but forgot to post it.

It's a striped oak bug (Rhabdomoris striatellus; 🇩🇪 Eichen-Schmuckwanze). Similar, but clearly different to its relative, the streaked plant bug (Miris striatus; 🇩🇪 Prachtwanze), as seen in the second picture.

They're both in tribe Mirini.

#Löwenstein 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Still trying to clear my backlog of arthropods seen at the Tagungsstätte Löwenstein last week, but many are proving hard to ID.

But I'll venture that this is a nymph of the spotted plant bug (Closterotomus fulvomaculatus; 🇩🇪 Braune Schmuckwanze).

As the German name suggests, it's much less pretty as an adult 🤷‍♂️

#Löwenstein 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

And since I'm sure you're now curious, why yes, there is also a large yellow-girdled tenthredo (Tenthredo maculata; 🇩🇪 Große Gelbbinden-Blattwespe) 🙂

Also photographed at Löwenstein last week.

#Löwenstein 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Turning to a black & yellow insect that is hopefully easier to ID definitively for once, this is a sawfly also seen at Löwenstein last week.

I'm pretty sure it's a female small yellow-girdled tenthredo (Tenthredo temula; 🇩🇪 Berauschte Blattwespe).

Fingers crossed that the iNaturalist experts agree – it's brutal in there 😬

#Löwenstein 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

To further demonstrate how hard it can be, here's another black & yellow hoverfly seen at Löwenstein last week.

Superficially similar, this is a Chrysotoxum, another genus of hoverfly.

But which species? The bars aren't hooked at the ends, so I'd favour C. vernale over C. festivum, but C. elegans is also an option.

#Löwenstein 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲

Identifying hoverflies can be very tricky too.

This boldly-coloured one is very likely genus Xanthogramma, now renamed Philhelius.

Based on the dark wing patches, the yellow bar shapes, & frequency, I'd say P. pedissequum, the delightfully-named Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly.

But also perhaps P. dives or P. stackelbergi?

#Löwenstein 🏰
#Photography 📷️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
#BugOfTheDay 🐞
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#InsectsOfMastodon 🪰
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲