Lynx Spider

Lynx spider - Oxyopes Spp.

Mamushi

Gloydius blomhoffii - mamushi - Japanese pit viper

 

 

 

Gloydius blomhoffii - mamushi - Japanese pit viper

Gloydius blomhoffii - mamushi - Japanese pit viper

Train Wrecker

Monday Mushroom #105

The rather dramatic common name for this mushroom - train wrecker - comes from its habit of growing unbidden (and quite profusely) out of timber structures, particularly railway sleepers.

Neolentinus lepideus - train wrecker

Neolentinus lepideus - train wrecker

Neolentinus lepideus - train wrecker

As they grow, the fruiting bodies often become wavy, misshapen and quite messy.

Neolentinus lepideus - train wrecker

Hinge Twist

Fencepost of the Week #116

Male Ant Mimic

Here is the male counterpart to the female ant-mimic jumping spider from this previous post. Can you spot the difference?

Bleached, Crusty and Rusty

Fencepost of the Week #115

A coastal fencepost from Birling Gap, Sussex.

Kanahebi pt 2

Kanahebi - Takydromus tachydromoides

Here's a video of a kanahebi trying to pull a grub out of a rotten tree trunk. It seems to have an injured jaw.

Kanahebi - Takydromus tachydromoides

Japanese Tiger Beetle

ハンミョウ- Japanese tiger beetle - Cicindela chinensis japonica

ハンミョウ- Japanese tiger beetle - Cicindela chinensis japonica

ハンミョウ- Japanese tiger beetle - Cicindela chinensis japonica

Japanese Rat Snake

The aodaisho is mainland Japan's largest snake. It is quite comfortable in urban environments.

Aodaisho - Elaphe climacophora

Aodaisho - Elaphe climacophora

White-spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Orgyia thyellina - White-spotted tussock moth -  ヒメシロモンドクガ

Orgyia thyellina - White-spotted tussock moth -  ヒメシロモンドクガ

The Deep, Mossy Interior of the Island

Fencepost of the Week #114

Fire-bellied Newts Breathing

I got some slightly fuzzy photos of Japanese fire-bellied newts - アカハライモリ - coming up to breathe in a breeding pool just outside of Kyoto.

Cynops pyrrhogaster - Japanese fire-bellied newt

Cynops pyrrhogaster - Japanese fire-bellied newt

Cynops pyrrhogaster - Japanese fire-bellied newt

Cynops pyrrhogaster - Japanese fire-bellied newt

Cynops pyrrhogaster - Japanese fire-bellied newt

Common Bluebottle

Common bluebottle - Graphium sarpedon

Slimy Pholiota

Monday Mushroom #104

Numerisugitake - Pholiota adiposa - sprouting on a fallen tree trunk in the woods east of Kyoto. This is a showy, colourful mushroom that can appear any time from spring through to autumn. This photo was taken in late spring.

Numerisugitake - Pholiota adiposa

Numerisugitake - Pholiota adiposa

Numerisugitake - Pholiota adiposa

Cladonia Copse

Fencepost of the Week #113

Having a tough time finding fenceposts in Kyoto, here's another one from Argyll, though.

Wakabagumo

Wakabagumo - Oxytate striatipes - green leaf spider: a crab spider from Japan. It has no web, instead grabbing prey with its long, hairy front legs. 

Wakabagumo - Oxytate striatipes

Wakabagumo - Oxytate striatipes

Wakabagumo - Oxytate striatipes

Wakabagumo - Oxytate striatipes

Sometimes it lies in wait, hoping for an insect to alight on its leaf. Other times it hangs in mid-air, from a tree, looking to grab something on the wing.

Wakabagumo - Oxytate striatipes - hanging from a thread.

Ramiikamikiri

 I found this beautiful longhorn beetle down by the river yesterday. It is sitting on a plant from the nettle family called a ramie which is its staple food, and also where its Japanese name comes from.

Ramiikamikiri - Paraglenea fortunei

Ramiikamikiri - Paraglenea fortunei

Ramiikamikiri - Paraglenea fortunei

Daimonjiyama Forest

Shady forest path on the edge of Kyoto, Japan.