Nick Broomer

[Nick Broomer]

The Gran Canaria Giant lizard, Gallotia Stehlini, [the largest lizard to be found on the Canary Islands] can be found throughout the island. Even though it is a common species, is protected by law, a small population of this lizard inhabits the island of Fuerteventura, which was introduced a few years ago. The males which grow up to 80cm in length, [the females being slightly smaller] are very territorial, and will fight to protect their patch, especially in the spring, when the females come into season. This species of lizard is oviparous, and reach sexual maturity at around 3-4 years of age, the females laying up to 16 eggs per clutch, [the eggs can vary in size, depending on the size of the female] taking 8-10 weeks to hatch, living up to the age of 11 years, sometimes older. The Gran Canaria Giant Lizard is also omnivorous, feeding mainly on vegetation, a small amount of fruit and, sometimes insects. Their habitat includes, shruby, rocky, open, and mountainous landscapes.In the photo below, the lizard is an immature specimen, being only about 30cm in length.

23.11.2012 gran canaria giant lizard 063.jpg

23.11.2012 gran canaria giant lizard 061.jpg

[Nick Broomer]

Gran Canaria continued
This is a species of the Red-Winged Grasshopper, family Oedipoda. It is found on dry, stoney/rocky, open landscapes here on Gran Canaria, and is beautifully camouflaged within their surrounding habitat.

23.11.2012 gran canaria 229-2_1.jpg

Like many insects on this island they are to be found in very small numbers, this one being the only one i was fortunate to see, but hardly surprising, with their ability to conceal themselves within their environment. I disturbed this one, high up, on a flat topped hill, and when it flew, it was no longer invisible, with it`s short low flight over the stoney terrain, it became alive, a bright red flash of beauty before my eyes, and then gone again, blending into the landscape once again.

[Nick Broomer]

Gran Canaria continued
The hunting wasp, of which many species can be found within the Canary Islands, [even though all species seem to be low in numbers]are aptly named, as they hunt for caterpillars for their larva to feed on. Before placing the caterpillar in a nest chamber on the side of a house, etc, [normally situated in flaking mortar, where a hole has appeared, or a mud, pot shaped nest might be built, depending on the species] it paralyses the caterpillar, then seals the entrance hole with mud.

23.11.2012 gran canaria 311-2_1.jpg

[Nick Broomer]

Gran Canaria continued
Apart from the local flies, the African Grass blue was the most common of all the insects in the area where i stayed.

23.11.2012 gran canaria 039-1_1.jpg

23.11.2012 gran canaria 047-1_1.jpg

These two i found in a very small park, [ the water feature, which was far to large, took up nearly half the area of the park, about 50ft sq.]and the one in the third photo was taken in the hotel grounds, the only one i saw there.

23.11.2012 gran canaria 068-1_1.jpg

[Nick Broomer]

Back home...
I was going through my photos when i found this Comma , taken in October in my garden, lost in the depths of my computer.

7.10.2012 garden 015 comma.jpg

It is so different in colouration to this one taken in July at Chiddingfold Wood.

7.7.2012 C.W. 015_1.jpg

[Mark Tutton]

Is it my imagination or does the October specimen have small silvery grey spots on the hindwings roughly where the 'comma' is underneath? - beautifully marked specimen

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Tuts, i believe the two silver spots on the hindwings to be damage. Probably caused by the hindwings sticking together when emerging from the chrysalis.

[Nick Broomer]

At the end of March last year i found a small caterpillar on some nettles, which turned out to be the larva of a moth, [page 5 on my personal diary]. It had fully pupated by the 13-4-2012 and, emerged late evening on 30-4-2012. I was going to get an ID, but could`nt remember where i had stored the photos, then forgot all about it, until the other night when i was going through my photos i found these two photos.

13.4.2012moth pupa 016_1.jpg

30.4.2012 moth 001-1_1.jpg

It was identified as the moth, Celypha Lacunana, very common thoughout Britain, with a wingspan between 16-18mm, body length about 10mm. Its flight period being, May-August. Four weeks later i found a final-instar Red Admiral larva.....

[Nick Broomer]

After watching a female Red Admiral ovipositing on 25-3-2012 and, laying a couple of eggs, i continuously went back looking for its larva once the incubation period had lapsed. But with all the time and effort put in, all i found were the larva of the moth, Celypha Lacunana. Then late April the area where i found the R.A. ovipositing was completely flooded, up to two feet of water over the whole of the area, probably destroying any eggs or larva of the butterflies breeding here. Then whilst working in my garden, i was throwing some weeds etc. onto my compost heap, near a small patch of nettles, when something small grabbed my attention. I took a closer look, and to my surprise and delight, i had inadvertently found a final- instar Red Admiral larva constructing a tent. Within two days it had eaten away part of one of the leaves, leaving a large hole. When i looked in on it the following day it had constructed another tent, and i thought that would be it. Wrong, the larva had promptly ate away the side of the tent again,and another day later had disappeared.I searched for any evidence of a third tent at the top of the nettles and, found nothing. For two further days i searched...........

30.5.2012 garden 062_1.jpg

30.5.2012 garden 103_2.jpg

[Nick Broomer]

........then finally i noticed a small nettle ,no higher than 62mm, on the edge of the nettle patch. It was unusual, which made me look again, the top leaves hanging down like that of an opened umbrella, so i carefully pulled one leaf slowly to one side, and there it was, just starting to pupate. No wonder i could`nt find it before, most unusual to be so low down. In order to take photographs, i had to do a slight bit of gardening, but nothing drastic. Was i pleased to have found it again, you bet i was, and this time i new it was going nowhere.

3.6.2012 red admiral pupating, day 1.jpg

[David M]

Excellent stuff, hideandseek. Are there any more images to come?

[Nick Broomer]

Thank you for your very kind comment David, and to anwser your question, yes. I was fortunate enough to get the rest of the sequence of photos, before going to work, and after work. So more to follow.

[NickMorgan]

Great pictures of the red admiral caterpillar. I look forward to seeing the rest of the pictures.

[Nick Broomer]

Thank you Nick, much appreciated.

[Nick Broomer]

The next photo was taken on 4.6.2012 at 5.37pm, nearly 25 hours after i found it on the small nettle, [picture 3] as you can see, there is very little change in its appearance, apart from one of the two green body segments has turned a light-brown in colour.

4.6.2012 red admiral pupating, day 2.jpg

Later that day i was about to go out with the wife for the evening, when i decided to check on the Red Ammiral larva, [like a father would on his child] expecting to find no change, it was now about 8.40pm. Its always better to be safe than sorry, well am i glad that i did, the larva had changed quite considerably. So out came the camera, [and an apology to the wife] as the evening out had been delayed. Just short of three hours since the last photo, the change is pretty remarkable, as you can see in the following picture.

4.6.2012 red admiral pupa 055_1.jpg

[David M]

Vince Massimo would be proud of this.

Excellent shots....and all captured in a wild environment!

[Vince Massimo]

Very impressive images, Nick.
It's one thing to get them under controlled conditions, but quite another to do so in the wild.........
Judging by the colour of the pupa, it looks like pupation occurred less than 30 minutes earlier.

Looking forward to seeing what happened next

Vince

[Nick Broomer]

Thank you again David, and thank you for your very kind praise Vince. Both your comments are really appreciated.

[Nick Broomer]

The developing pupa continued to physically change during the night of the 4.6.2012, and by 7.25am on the 5.6.2012 had completely transformed itself once again as the next photo depicts.

5.6.2012 red admiral pupa 002_1.jpg

There was`nt any further change that day but, on the morning of the 6.6.2012, at 8.23.am, 25 hours later, the pupa had once again completely changed its appearance.

6.6.2012 red admiral pupa 002-1_1.jpg

[Nick Broomer]

The last two photos of the pupation, taken later the same day, [6.6.2012] shows a subtle change but, its the final one, with the green tinge nearly all but disappearing. the pupation having now been completed.

6.6.2012 red admiral pupa 081-2_1_1.jpg

6.6.2012 red admiral pupa 101_1.jpg

Now, all i had to do was wait for the wing colours of the butterfly to show through the thin membrane of the chrysalis to indicate that the butterfly was about to emerge..................so i waited,.................. and waited...................