25th August |
High Heath. Not much light, so just a couple of images. Mostly dull with extremely heavy showers. |
Two shots of a dark form of Philaenus spumarius - a leaf-hopper responsible for the blobs of 'Cuckoo-spit' seen on plant stems. About 5mm long.
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This spider on Meadow Buttercup was noticeably 'yellow'. About 2 cm. from toe to toe. |
These white objects on Soft Rush are the larval cases of Coleophora alticolella - a micromoth. The larva makes the case and lives inside it as it eats the flowers and seeds of the rush. The second image shows the white and orange larva at the business end of the tube.
I'm still trying to work out the benefit of these cases. They might well provide some protection, but they must also make the creature much more obvious to potential predators. They attracted me from metres away. |
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