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Auke van Veen would like to know which beetle was photographed on March 3. I think this beetle belongs to the water predatory beetle family. The name is brown duiker. The elytra of this beetle are light beige with a greenish tinge. The underside of the brown duiker is a beautiful black-brown and the pronotum has a dark brown spot. This water predatory beetle probably owes its name to those two things. Brown divers are among the most common water predatory beetles. Yet you rarely see the animal. They often live in small pools and between dense masses of aquatic plants. The beetle is also so streamlined, with its flat and smooth body, so that it can quickly dart away in case of danger. Unfortunately, this copy of Auke landed incorrectly, because in principle they should land in the water and not on stone. Water predator beetles cannot walk very well. They have specialized swimming legs. They have a few large thorns on these specialized swimming legs. As a result, the brown duiker has slightly more grip when crawling than, for example, the yellow-edged water beetle.
What is the name of this butterfly that landed on the window frame?
On August 15, Jos van Erp found a moth on his window frame. He would like to know which species it is. Well, this is a dandelion strainer. The wings of the dandelion spanner are somewhat pale or white-gray. It looks like there is a layer of dust on it. What is very clear are the dark speckles. This beautiful moth belongs to the moth family. Dandelion trees are mainly found on sandy soils, but are certainly not rare in the rest of our country. They are also very common in urban areas. Especially on illuminated windows, but also in houses. The light to dark brown or gray – and relatively long – slender caterpillar has the ability to mimic twigs, which is of course perfect camouflage. These caterpillars eat all kinds of plants, but in gardens they have a slight preference for thyme, thyme and dandelion. In addition to the food that these specific plants provide, these plants also provide them with shelter. This species hibernates as a caterpillar. In the spring they pupate in a cocoon on the ground.
Which bee is digging between the stones here?
Patricia Scholten saw a bee in her garden in Sprundel on August 15. He was digging between the stones. Her question is: what kind of bee is this? In the photo above you see a bee near a hole. I think this is one of the more beautiful bee species, because it is a plume-footed bee. This species is mainly found on sandy soils. You often see them in dunes and heathlands, but you also encounter them in cities and villages on sandy soils. In the latter areas you often see them working between tiles and broken asphalt. One of the most famous places for me is the square in front of the church in Liempde. The plume-footed bees owe their name to the fact that the females have long tufts on their hind legs. These are essentially hairbrushes, which they use as digging tools to build nests in sandy soils.
They prefer environments that are dry and warm. After the tunnels have been dug, the plume-footed bees collect pollen and fill the nest cells with it. Once the food has been placed in the cells in the morning, the plume-footed bee then lays an egg on them and seals the brood cell.
Beautiful photos section
In the beautiful photos section, this time a photo taken by Patricia Smulders. On a holiday in June 2025, with some luck, she met this beautiful bird in the Black Forest, the nutcracker.
Nature tip
On Sunday, October 19, you can look for mushrooms at the Mariëndaal estate in Velp near Grave from ten in the morning to noon.
Due to the recent rain, mushrooms are rearing their heads everywhere again. You come across them in many places: the fruiting bodies of many types of fungi in the soil and on trees. Nature guides from Nature Association IVN Grave will take you on this special walk through the Mariëndaal estate. They will look for mushrooms with you in the leafy forest and tell you all about it.
The walk is interesting and fun for young and old, but especially for children. Children can use a search card to try to find out which type of mushroom they have found. Afterwards there is coffee, tea or lemonade in the Buitenhuis at the petting zoo.
More information
- The starting point is the large parking lot at the Sint Jozefschool at Beukenlaan 6 in Velp.
- The search also involves unpaved paths.
- Bring a mirror so you can look under the mushrooms.
- Participation in the walk is free, but a voluntary contribution is of course welcome!