A Calligrapha beetle- named of course for the beautiful inscriptions on its elytra- sits on its dogwood host plant.

[janeadams@datavis.social]

@alexwild TIL “elytra” has an etymology outside of Minecraft

[edelruth@mastodon.online]

@alexwild

Ink splotches where the calligrapher shook off the pen. Beautiful insect.

[olson@sfba.social]

@alexwild

Beautiful!

[connychiwa@mastodon.nz]

@alexwild I never tire of discovering new fascinating creatures and being amazed by the beauty nature creates.
What a wonderful bug! What a great photo!

[biobaum@bildung.social]

In order to feed the hashtag #Calligrapha, let me present this Calligrapha pantherina from New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Everybody, have a closer look at insects and you will find beauty! (for example in the amazing pictures by @alexwild)

#insects #macrophotography #chrysomelidae #png #biodiversity #naturePhotography #forLoveOfInsects

[cascadepine@mas.to]

@biobaum beautiful beetle! And thanks for feeding the hashtags

[gemlog@tilde.zone]

@alexwild

The Creator would appear as endowed with a passion for stars, on the one hand, and for beetles on the other, for the simple reason that there are nearly 300,000 species of beetle known, and perhaps more, as compared with somewhat less than 9,000 species of birds and a little over 10,000 species of mammals. Beetles are actually more numerous than the species of any other insect order.

But "The Creator Has an Inordinate Fondness for Beetles" sounds better

Quote Origin: The Creator Has an Inordinate Fondness for Beetles – Quote Investigator®

(quoteinvestigator.com)

[toddthomas@mastodon.social]

@alexwild astonishingly beautiful—both the beetle and your photograph

[lizette603_23@mastodon.social]

@alexwild the design appears perforated!!! wow

[mrdk@mathstodon.xyz]

@Lizette603_23 @alexwild ...and made of leather, or so it seems to me. 🪲

[lizette603_23@mastodon.social]

@mrdk @alexwild exactly