The sun has been out again today, making it quite warm enough on my walk this morning to sit for some time on a rock by the side of a path and think about important things - like, how successful the local gorse has been in recolonising the area of coniferous plantation that was burnt out by a fire in 2018, and....
....how, at first sight, it seems to form as much of a monoculture as a field of farmer's wheat, when a sudden movement caught my eye.
We don't see many tiger beetles but when one does turn up I'm reminded of the first time I saw one, on a similar rough track that runs along the coastline of Ardnamurchan to the east of Ockle. I remember it because of the startling metallic beauty of the insect, and because I recall looking it up on the internet and learning that it is a remarkable hunter, exceptionally fast on its long legs and ruthless in its ability to catch its prey - spiders, caterpillars and ants.
I often bemoan the increasing scarcity of our larger wildlife, such as deer, foxes, pine martens, badgers and, now, rabbits, so this beetle was a timely reminded that there's plenty of excitement still to be found amongst the multitude of much smaller species which inhabit even gorse heathland - like this beautiful insect.
Excellent photograph Jon. As difficult to capture insects as are roe deer and squirrels! Thank you for including it in your blog - I and other entomologists salute you.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting beetle! I've never heard of a tiger beetle before. It looks like something from the costume department in the first series of Star Trek!
ReplyDeleteYour feelings about vanishing nature reminds me of how uplifting I found it to read Isabella Tree's Rewilding book. Some of the content in her book is about the lack of biodiversity in the countryside.
Thank you both for the comments - always much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteUnlike roe deer, insects don't stay still for long - so they're a challenge to photograph. And, yes, I do salute the entomologists - I envy you your knowledge.
Jon