Every Sunday there is also a new episode of the Stuifmail podcast. Listen to it here:
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Which insect did I photograph?
Jan van der Aa saw an insect on one of his flowers and would like to know which insect this is. In the photo above you see a very beautiful hoverfly that belongs to the shuttle fly family. The name is lemon shuttle fly, where the word lemon refers to the large light yellow spots on the abdomen. The lemon shuttle fly looks a bit like a wasp and is unfortunately often mistaken for one. As a result, this beautiful hoverfly is often killed. You most often encounter this hoverfly in moist flowery environments such as heathlands and swamps. But they are also often seen in gardens. The food of the lemon shuttle fly is the nectar of various flowers. The difference between males and females is clearly visible in hoverflies, because the males’ eyes are against each other. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the lemon shuttle fly. You can only tell by the fact that the male has a slightly narrower abdomen.
Red-breasted goose perched
A red-breasted goose landed in Breda on Monday, on the edge of the Haagse Beemden district. This goose is a rare winter visitor in the Netherlands.
What kind of mosquito is this?
Hennie van Kessel wondered what kind of mosquito she had seen and photographed. What is immediately noticeable about the mosquito is that this is no ordinary mosquito. This insect belongs to the crane fly, because of its long legs. Various ground-legged mosquitoes live in our country, the most famous of which is the cabbage crane fly.
What Hennie photographed is the diamond tiger. The diamond tiger, like all other crane flies, is active during twilight and night and likes to come to light. Adult crane flies only live for a few days and do not eat or only eat some nectar. The males usually die after mating. The females usually die after egg laying. Crane flies are poor fliers, usually finding their way in a zigzagging flight.
What is this special caterpillar called?
Martien van Helmond had seen a special caterpillar, he told me. He sent a photo. In that photo you see a beautiful large brown caterpillar, including its tail. I think this is the caterpillar of the pintail caterpillar. The pintail family is a family with large caterpillars and also large moths. The caterpillars of this butterfly can grow to about eight centimeters in length. They have the thickness of a normal human thumb. In the photo above the caterpillar is brown, but you will also encounter green caterpillars. Caterpillars of the bindweed feed on hedge bindweed – the pee pots – and field bindweed.
More and more pintails have been seen since 2015. Originally, the adult butterfly was a rare migratory butterfly in Southern Europe. The pintail butterfly can have a wingspan of 130 millimeters. What is particularly striking about this moth is its very long tongue of up to fifteen centimeters.
We saw this monster while on holiday on the beautiful island of Cres, Croatia
René van Kuik saw and photographed a special large moth of up to five centimeters on the Croatian island of Cres. It was located there on a wall. Fortunately, I once observed this very beautiful moth (not a moth!) myself, in the south of France. So I know this is an oleander pintail. This moth from the pintail family, which is very rare in the Netherlands, was seen twice in North Brabant in 2018 and several caterpillars were found in North Brabant and Zeeland. Perhaps this migratory butterfly will follow its relative, the bindweed, because it has been spotted more often in our country. It will have to get a bit warmer, because the oleander pintail is currently unable to hibernate in our country. Oleander pintails are nocturnal moths that forage for food such as honeysuckle and, in the south, ornamental tobacco.
Can caterpillars smell where to dine?
Loes Westgeest saw the caterpillar of the pine pintail moth. First on a path, later on the trunk of a pine tree. So that caterpillar had found the pine tree from the path and there the caterpillar climbed straight up towards the pine needles.
Loes wondered, how does this animal know that? Do they smell that? Caterpillars can indeed smell and this allows them to recognize different plants and trees. They have taste hairs on their heads and they can use them to find their food. Others have small antennae with which they smell and can therefore detect odors. For example, caterpillars can also sense the shape of a leaf; whether it is rough, smooth or hairy. This way they know whether it is the right plant.
A buzzard digging out a wasp nest?
Hedda Schut discovered a bird in her garden. She first thought it was a buzzard, but she saw that the bird was targeting an underground wasp nest. Well, then there is no doubt anymore, because buzzards do not like to dive on underground wasp nests. Honey buzzards do. A honey buzzard can clearly be seen in Hedda’s photo. The bird in her photo does look buzzard-like, but the honey buzzard has a smaller head that sticks out a little. The flying wings are also somewhat longer than those of a buzzard.
Most honey buzzards have now already left for the south of the Sahara, where they spend the winter. The menu of this special bird includes larvae, pupae, honey and even adult wasps, which the birds dig up from underground wasp nests.
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Honey buzzard opens wasp nest – Hans Natuurkanaal
Marga van de Ham did her utmost to film a honey buzzard who dared to open a wasp nest in the ground in her garden. And it worked.
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Honey buzzard digs out a wasp ground nest – Hans Natuurkanaal
You can also see how a honey buzzard works on Hans’ Nature Channel.
Why do geese and cranes constantly make noise when they are migrating? That costs extra energy
Mari-Anne Ceulen wonders why geese and cranes, among others, make noise during migration. That takes energy, right? Good question, but science hasn’t quite figured that out yet. There are many different bird sounds, which mainly have to do with communication. There are sounds that indicate danger, sounds to attract mates, sounds during courtship rituals and sounds to indicate the territory. Sounds during migration may have to do with signaling their presence, but it is also possible that migratory birds make those sounds to communicate with other birds during their journey.
A fat caterpillar in the garden in Galder
Frans Haazen in Galder saw a kind of caterpillar in the garden. He would like to know which caterpillar it is. In the photo you see a fairly fat, white caterpillar with all black dots. We are dealing here with the caterpillar of the marmoset sawfly. So this is not a butterfly. We call these types of caterpillars hybrid caterpillars. The marmoset sawfly bastard caterpillars only eat plants from the marmalade family.
Adult marmoset sawflies have other small insects or other animals on their menu. The sawfly family is very extensive, many species look very similar. Sawflies are not known as true wasps, because sawflies do not make nests.
Beautiful photos section
In the beautiful photos section, this time a photo of a butterfly that you don’t often see in Brabant. Marij Wagenaars spotted this at Kasteren in Liempde. The name of this butterfly is small kingfisher butterfly.
Nature tip
A walk over the hilltops of the Loonse and Drunense Dunes will be organized on Saturday, October 7. This lasts from ten in the morning until one o’clock in the afternoon. The excursion leader takes the participants over the tops of the ramparts, so you quickly walk at a height of about ten meters. The history of its origins is told while you enjoy a beautiful view of forests, sand plains and heathlands. Discover the oaks, which are covered by drifting sand and are called oak forts. Learn everything about the shifting sand recovery and the plants and animals that occur here.
The walk covers a distance of approximately four to five kilometers. The stretches through the loose sand are not too bad on this walk. Nevertheless, it is a walk for the fit walker.
More information:
Registration is required and is possible through this link.
Starting point is the parking space at De Rustende Jager on the Oude Bossche Baan in Biezenmortel.
Participation costs members of Natuurmonumenten seven euros, non-members pay ten euros.
This excursion is aimed at adults. Older children are welcome if accompanied by an adult.
Wear sturdy walking shoes.
Wear clothes that suit the weather.
Always check yourself for ticks afterwards!