The New Naturalist

Mandarins in a Bowl

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:10:06 +0000

Small world, big stakes!

admin — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:26:38 +0000

Here is an unexpected shot… all I intended was to take a photograph of the spider on the buttercup, when in flew an unexpected visitor, the spider’s next victim. Notice how the spider hangs his victims from silk threads - ready to be eaten at a later time.

Flower folding

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 19:07:55 +0000

This Dog Rose was neatly folded (resembling an orchid). It’s creator, a crab spider, lay in wait inside.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_canina

Caterpillar suspended in mid-air

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:34:14 +0000

This caterpillar was part of a colony of some 20 or so individuals enclosed in silk threads. On being disturbed it threw itself out on a invisible silken thread and hung suspended in the air.

See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_caterpillars

Crab spider having a snack

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:25:37 +0000

Crab spiders often catch large insects such as bees. It seems this fellow was on his hors d’oeuvre. The fly in its jaws was so small that I didn’t notice it whan I took the shot.

Frans Lanting - A Personal Journey

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:26:50 +0000

Saddle-backed Bush Cricket (Ephippiger ephippiger)

admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:12:14 +0000

La Vie en Rose

admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:40:09 +0000

Lichen covered branches

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:33:24 +0000

Lavacourt - first impressions

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:45:17 +0000

It is unfrequent to be so pleasantly surprised. On a weekend drive out of Paris I stumbled almost by accident on the hamlet of Lavacourt on the River Seine and its small Restaurant-Bar-Tabac “Chez Charlot”. Immediately opposite lay the village of Vetheuil - a village made timeless by Monet who lived there in the 1880s.

No better invitation could there have been to settle down to a simple lunch of “poulet frites” and a “pichet” of red wine. What else could one ask for?

The village of Vetheuil as seen from the hamlet of Lavacourt (captured by mobile phone).

And the same scene rendered timeless by Claude Monet some 120 years earlier (painted in oils!).

Here is another of Vetheuil in the Winter. Je pense q’une autre visite s’impose!

Find out more about Claude Monet.