This is a mite I spotted half way up a mountain in Crete. I'm guessing Erythraeidae of some sort. In the old Twitter days I'd post this and have an Id within a few minutes.... @Theridula perhaps?

This demonstrates the noise, which is amplified when you have several in close proximity. Bonus jumping spider here too.

I love the sounds of Cicadas. At times almost deafening but when you get close the noise suddenly stops and they can be incredibly difficult to spot, despite their impressive size. I managed a few close encounters in Crete though.

This demonstrates the noise, which is amplified when you have several in close proximity. Bonus jumping spider here too.

Here's the gecko I mentioned in my previous post, although 'pretty' might have been doing it an injustice, I think!

Crete again, and this time I was chasing a Cretan Giant Centipede, which unfortunately was too quick but did lead me to a rather pretty gecko - and while I was photographing the gecko I spotted a load of mantids in the dry grass. I think they were juvenile Ameles decolor.

Wow! Some amazing finds on this Angola expedition, well worth a look 👇

Having never found a scorpion before, I spent a lot of time looking for them in Crete. On the last evening we drove to a viewpoint high on a mountain and I spotted this little beauty under a stone. I think it's a juvenile Checkered Scorpion (Aegaeobuthus gibbosus)

Wasn't a bad view, by the way...

Of course, lots of jumping spiders in Crete, this one possibly my favourite - Thyene imperialis - with some beautiful eyelashes.

One of my top goals in Crete was finding the endemic Cretan tarantula. It’s 1 of only 2 tarantula species in Europe! Described in 2019, it has only a handful of records. I did find this silk-lined hole, which is exactly what I was looking for. Could it be a tarantula burrow?

My previous post from Crete was a sunrise shot featuring a silhouetted spider. Here's a close-up shot of the spider in question - Argiope lobata.

I headed out today with my macro kit today wondering what I might see. Never did I envisage I’d watch and photograph a jumping spider (Evarcha falcata) being predated by spider hunting wasp!

I’ve only these wasps predating 3 times in all my years and never with a jumping spider!

Reading The World Beneath Our Feet by old Twitter friend Frank Ashwood. A brilliantly written book. If you've enjoyed my springtail and mite photography, this is well worth a read. He describes the world of soil life magnificently. His macro photos are pretty special too!

Crete, a late night drinking Raki with the locals then up early for a couple of hours macro, a swim in the sea then sit and have a coffee while basking in the sun and taking in the view. I could get used to this...

How's it going back home? 😜

Called in at Clumber Park on the way past yesterday. I was hoping to spot a Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi) as I've never properly photographed one before, and never even seen one here in the UK. In amongst the heather I spotted a female on her web, and she didn't disappoint.

Ever wondered how a small heath butterfly drinks during a heatwave? I found this one last week early morning while it was covered in dew and I noticed it using its proboscis and drinking up dew drops!

Double bonus as increases hydration and removes the dew to warm it up quicker.

Watching the eclipse in Birmingham and it went behind the only cloud I've seen for weeks 10 mins before peak then emerged 20 mins later. Doh!

It's a Painted Lady summer. Seeing lots of people posting pics of them. And why not, they're gorgeous butterflies! Spotted this one at the weekend.

A Common Darter dragonfly glistening in the sunshine at @BhamBotanicalGd this weekend.