Jakub Steinhűbel

From the city of Osor I set foot to Osorčica ridge. I went over the bridge that connect Cres and Lošinj islands. Both islands are connected with swing bridge over only the 6 m long canal. The path itself was stony with suhozid walls on the beggining. Steep ascent to the top of the Osorčica ridge leads me to the highest peak Televrina hill to 588 m. The journey ended by the shore in Nerezine town (GPS:44.67157, 14.36179) .   Descending from Sveti Mikula hill (557 m.) to Nerezine GPS: 44.64611, 14.37753 .

Early in the morning I set foot from Osor city on Osorčica trail. I was ahead of the sun but this soon will be over. There was long and steep road awaiting me. I follow the stony road leads the way to the top of 588 m heigth Televrina hill. The suhozid stony fence was on my left or right side sometimes on both sides of the road.  Beautiful female of Saturnia pyri. I was only few kilometres from Osor city when I saw giant moth Saturnia pyri sitting on small shrub. After a cold night it was reluctant to fly only waiting for the sun rises to warm its body to move. I spent few minutes to observing this largest European moth than I continue on my way to the top. Puffy female with the plumose antennae type. Detail of the eye on the forewing of the moth.

On Monday will be the last day of September, so the Autumn is really here. Weather is colder despite it is still sunny day. I dont expect to find anything interresting. All that was here is long since gone. In this type of pine-oak forest colourful autumn is not what one could expect. Here colours are fading to gray. On my path I suddenly saw beetle under me feet with nice red-green metallic elytrae. It was Carabid beetle Calosoma sycophanta. Usually very good runner and hunter now lethargic wriggling its way somewhere and I am pretty sure its days are also numbered (GPS: 48.59206, 17.27223) . Shadows are long and colours are fading. It is the end of the season. Carabid beetle with metallic elytrae Calosoma sycophanta .

It looks like ordinary fly but it is not. It is another blood feeder that appeared around our house since neighbour started breeding cow. Few weeks ago one of them stab me and now more of them appeared on my car after cold night. The flies are good fliers and not easy to catch, except this one physogastric female with bigger abdomen. Both males and females are blood feeders with short protruding proboscis. This fly belongs to Muscidae family and I am wonder how many times the blood feeding evolved separately during Evolution in Diptera. Female of Stomoxis calcitrans idling on cars door.

It is another from the series of extremely hot days. But it is time to go out becouse is Oryctes nasicornis season and I dont want to miss it. This Scarabaeid beetle is common here and in this period of year can be found in profusion throught out whole forest. The beetles can be found mainly in sparse forest or in open xerothermic localities with dead Oak trees. The trees must be in sandy soil and must have naked roots. This is the sine qua non for females to lay eggs. Solitary oak trees are the most theratened becouse of another beetle Cerambix cerdo that larvae developed under the bark drive trees to the death. Around this dead trees or tribes lot of Oryctes beetles can be found. Among the beetles there is wide variety in size and the bigger beetles tend to be in the most suitable trees.  (GPS: 48.58957, 17.28425) Detail of the dead oak tree shows how worn the tree si. The body of both males and females is sturdy. Mainly brown or black coloured. Males have prominent horn ...

As I found myself out of the forest the Tabanid fly Haematopota pluvialis landed on my index finger and started drawing blood. It was little bit itchy as lancet like mandibles were piercing throught my skin but I was holding on. As I was losing blood its flattened abdomen that was hardly seen under wings started to be swollen and showed black pleurites on both sides. The fly body was slender and grey coloured with some camo patern on wings. I noticed the beautiful metallic eyes on its head. Unlike the males the eyes were separated so I identified it as female. Males also dont feed on blood but prefer nectar so can be found on various flowers. After the fly flew away small droplet of blood appeared on my finger. But I expected that. Black pleurites showed on both sides of the abdomen as blood flowed in. U nlike Solenophgy blood feeders that draw blood directly from capillary, Tabanids flies are Telmophagy blood feeders that cut the skin with sharp mandibles and lick running bl...

In Bratislava in botanical garden We found this bee on the ground. At first look I thought it is our common Xylocopa violacea . But its body was slimmer and not so shiny. This bee interrested me so I took it with Me. After closer examination I detremined it as Megachile sculpturalis . This bee is not native to Slovakia, nor Europe. This is invasive species from far East. This finding turns out to be only fourth case in me country and all previous findings were also only few days old. The bee is dark with yellow hairs on thorax and coarse abdomen. Wing are transparent but slightly dim to brown shade. Males have yellow hairs on the front of the head. The female can reach up to 25 mm what is quite impressive size. (GPS: 48.14717, 17.07409)   Detail of the abdomen of the bee posses coarse surface. About the biology: Megachile sculpturalis is solitary living bee that buids its nests in pre existing cavities in wood or artifical holes. Since They dont make the holes by itself sometime...