pictures from the royal botanical gardens this morning 🌸

Royal Botanical Gardens, July 2022

Nature's myriad of astonishing creations never fails to put us all in awe😲. To capture this, we introduce you all to our new weekly series - 'BioWonders' and the first wonder in this series is- Boquila trifoliolata🌱- a plant that can see!?👀

Join us in this series to learn more about such unreal yet real natural wonders!

Brassy Long-Joint Darkling Beetle - Arthromacra aenea

We now go from a wide, Bronzed Beetle to a more slender one of Brass. This specie has no common name, so for today’s post its a combination of its subfamily name and the specie name (aenea meaning brassy). The brassy-ness in question refers to the metallic luster of this insect’s shell. This post was scheduled to be uploaded many years ago, but was pulled back at the last minute due to uncertainty on the identification. While unsure on the exact specie for a while, these images have been carefully re-examined. By looking at the shape of this Beetle and comparing this individual to other confirmed sightings on iNaturalist and Bugguide, I can comfortably say that I’m now happy declaring the identification correct...well as much as can be gleaned from pictures. My biggest doubts came from the thorax width and the antennae which appeared to be the wrong type. However, when counting the antennae segments, it became clear that it had been attacked or damaged in some way. The shell has also been impacted and one of its feet is missing, so a confrontation with a predator was likely! Looking at untouched specimens, they have an elongated terminal antennae segment. 

Please do not overlook this Beetle’s features if you find a similar Beetle in the wild or in your garden (I kept veering towards Lizard Beetles, Tribe Languriini). If you can, try and get a reasonable picture of the head and eyes. This individual represents a new side of Darkling Beetles (it is a thinner specimen) for the blog, specifically from the Subfamily Lagriinae, better known as the Long-Jointed Beetles (and Arthromacra means “large-jointed”). Like their relatives, they can be primarily found in sources of decaying vegetation and stumps. Even then, water is very important for an insect’s body and to prevent desiccation. A strong, predator-proof, brassy shell needs nutrition to remain intact and healthy. Although somewhat metallic, one would be hard pressed to classify this shell as brassy (the light bouncing of this individual makes it seem like a darkened silver). This isn’t unexpected for this Darkling Beetle whose shell can have a variable coloration between individual. Look for such magnificent colors as dark-orange, brown, grey and even dark green! Having said that, if you find a similar-looking Beetle with a more vibrant green shell, you have likely found one of its relatives: A. pilosella. Red coloration could (I stress, could) mean you’ve found A. robinsoni! Who knew Darkling Beetles could be so metal and so colorful? 

Pictures were taken on June 24, 2017 at the Royal Botanical Gardens with a Samsung Galaxy S4. On the subject of bronze and brass, both are alloys composed of copper. Brass is formed of zinc, whereas bronze is bonded with tin.

Royal Botanical Garden, Burlington, Ontario, Canada, March 2023.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion” - Albert Camus

Castor Bean

Lights

Tienes que admitir que esto se ve mejor que ponerle luces LED a un pino: Con motivo de la temporada navideña de 2023, el Real Jardín Botánico de Kew en Londres ofrece un espectáculo nocturno que literalmente muestra sus áreas al aire libre bajo una nueva luz. [x]

Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne VIC, Australia

6 Sept, Wed, 15:04

NIKON CORPORATION COOLPIX A1000

ƒ/3.41/5004.3 mmISO100

Royal Botanical Gardens, July 2022

In case you ever need inspiration for a garden or plant of sorts, here you go. Took these at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario (in their Laking Garden and part of their Blooming with Pride section). Go visit if you have the chance, everything there is a sight to behold. It's worth the trip.

European Pine Sawfly Larva - Neodiprion sertifer

Gonna preface this by mentioning that my identification for this wriggly insect is based on a lot of scrutiny, examination and comparing it to other specimens on Bugguide. And yet, I’m still not certain. Let’s just go with it for now, and if I have to revise due to new findings (not unheard of for my Sawfly catalogue) I will do so. As the name suggests, this insect came to North America from a distant land, but has established itself among the forests. With long lines along the back and side of the body (white and black bordered with white respectively), a white patch behind the black head, 6 black legs and many white prolegs, this larva is conspicuous against the pine needles it explores. Like another Pine Sawfly with a Red Head, this specie also feeds on conifer plants, consuming their foliage and potentially causing problems for the trees it infests. These are reported to have potential to be serious forest pests if their numbers grow out of control. If pine trees get defoliated one can only imagine the damage they would do to pine bushes! Have the hose handy should you find wrigglers among your needles.

Though both this Sawfly and the Red-headed Pine Sawfly feed on conifer needles, they belong to different branches of the Sawfly tree. Interestingly, this specific Sawfly is a true pine Sawfly rather than a Webworm, belonging to the family: Diprionidae (Conifer Sawflies). Which ever member of Symphyta you find, remember this: Sawflies are not Caterpillars (specifically, they are Hymenopterans) so Caterpillar chemicals may not have the intended effect if found on your plants. Though there’s pest potential with these insects, they’re just going what they’re doing. It may be easy to hold them in negative light just looking at the larval form, but there’s great beauty to see in their colorful adult form. I have no adults pictures to share here, but if the research I’ve done is any indication, you’d be surprised. Like the Red-headed Pine Sawfly, the European Pine Sawfly males and females sport different colors: males black and females orange (and both with orange legs). Finally, members of Diprionidae have different types of antennae whether male or female and N. sertifer is no exception: the males have pectinate antennae (think feather-like) while the females have serrated antennae (like small teeth). Take a close look if you are able to find one, and if it’s orange try and find the saw-like ovipositor if you can. 

Pictures were taken on June 10, 2017 at the Royal Botanical Gardens with a Samsung Galaxy S4.

Royal Botanical Garden, Burlington, Ontario, Canada, March 2023.

Lily Maymac 🌸🍒💋🌸 Pandora 18kt Golden Jewellery @theofficialpandora

2023_05_19