CIRCLE WITH A DOT

This peacock butterfly has seen better days.

#insect #butterfly #pollinators

Today for #MarshMadness I've painted a screech beetle, Hygrobia hermanni. They are named for their ability to scream/screech/squeak when disturbed by rubbing the tip of their abdomen against their elytra. They eat soft bodied worms and store a bubble of air underneath their wings to increase their diving time.

#SciArt #InsectArt #watercolor

Today for #MarshMadness I have painted a water cricket, Velia caprai. Like many water running insects, these bugs have a technique called Entspannungschwimmen ("relaxation swimming"), where they spit onto the surface of the water behind them, breaking up its surface tension and propelling them forward as they run.

#InsectArt #SciArt #watercolor

For #MarshMadness today I have a marsh beetle, Scirtes orbiculatus. The larvae swim around in stagnant water, then climb out to pupate under leaf litter where they spend the rest of their lives as adults.

#SciArt #InsectArt #watercolor

@wtrmt @futurebird On a semi-related note, the Berlin Naturkundemuseum has a fantastic giant model of an ant eating some honeydew that I spent quite a bit of time looking at. The ant is about the size of a beagle and beautifully detailed.