The wasp spider
The wasp spider is a Mediterranean species that has slowly expanded northwards in recent decades. It is now a common species in the Netherlands, but also in the UK.
The map
The map is a special butterfly. The different generations in a year are different in colour. An example of seasonal dimorphism. I explain this further in this blog.
Tawny owl
It may be hard to imagine, but some birds already have young. Like the tawny owl (Strix aluco). You may have never seen this owl. But you may have heard it more times than you think.
Brimstones
There are four common butterflies in the Netherlands that hibernate as an adult. Besides the peacock, the comma butterly and the small tortoiseshell, the fourth species is the brimstone. A beautiful bright yellow butterfly which can be seen early in spring.
The king of winter
The wren, one of the smallest birds in Europe. And with an enormous sound volume! The male maintains several females and nests. So, a very energetic bird.
Prickly animals
As with many other animal species, the hedgehog is not doing so well. Traffic, but also our way of gardening are to blame for this. 'Neat' short mowed, raked and snail-free gardens with a pond with a steep edge are disastrous for these prickly animals. So give them a helping hand.
Comma butterfly
The comma butterfly is one of the four common butterfly species in the Netherlands that overwinter as imago. Now that the spring sun is showing itself again, these hibernating butterflies are emerging from their hiding places.
Counting birds
In the coming weeks, garden birds will be counted all over the world again. In the Netherlands, the chaffinch has been in the top six for years.
The herald
The herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix) is one of the few moths that hibernate as imago. Somewhere in a dark and draft-free place, but sometimes also in the house. If you come across one in the house, put it outside carefully. The moth survives the winter cold, to fly around again in the spring with the first heat.
Bugs, bugs, bugs
Bugs come in different shapes, colors and sizes. About a thousand species occur in the Netherlands and Belgium. The number of species worldwide is estimated at several tens of thousands.
Oystercatcher
The oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) is increasingly visiting the city to breed. While it is originally a true coastal inhabitant who, driven by various causes, sought and found a new habitat in the inland.
Ladybirds
Ladybirds, who doesn't know them? Funny little beetles often with dots on their backs. And a predilection for aphids.
Birds with beards
The bearded reedling (Panurus biarmicus) is a beautiful reed bird with a distinctive sound, which adapts itself in winter to the food supply.
Peace on earth
The time of peace on earth has arrived, including Christmas cards with the lovely robin. Although, lovely? Read about its true nature in my blog.
Winter damsels
You may not believe it, but you can find damselflies in winter too, even when it’s freezing! The winterdamsels to be precise. In the Netherlands you can find the common winter damselfly and the rare Siberian winter damselfly.
Underwaterbird
The dipper is a rare bird in the Netherlands that forages for food while swimming and walking across the bottom of a fast-flowing stream.
A caterpillar or not?
The caterpillar is the larva of a butterfly or moth. But there are also larvae that look a lot like a caterpillar, but are not. They belong to sawflies. This blog is about the differences between the two.
Two different species?
I regularly receive questions from readers about animals that have been seen, usually to help identify the species. For example, I recently got two questions in quick succession that happened to be related to the same species: the gypsy moth. In this blog, more about this beautiful, but also feared species.
Murderous plants
Carnivorous plants are often depicted in a cartoonish way as bloodthirsty stems with a head with dangerous teeth on top. However, reality looks different.
Of Damsels and Dragons
The dragonfly season starts mid-April. With slender damsels to sturdy, heavily built dragons. What is the difference between the two? My latest blog is about that question.
