Eating So Much You Can't Move, Pt. 2 - _TNY_5450

I had the good fortune of coming across this rain beetle (Carabus violaceus), also known as the violet ground beetle, in the Mjällådalen nature reserve near Härnösand, Sweden today. Fittingly, it had some raindrops on the carapace and if you zoom in, you can see how cool the purple and blue edge is enhanced through the drops.

 

Now normally, these guys are running around and shooting these require nailing focus while panning, but this one was still for a little while which allowed me to get two good shots of it. The reason for this was that is was still trying to swallow down the last of an earth worm (still showing betweeen the jaws here).

 

If you zoom in on the face of this one, you'll notice a couple of orange phoretic mites which use the beetle as their taxi service.

 

A big thank you to my son who not only accompanied dad on this trip, but also was the one who spotted the beetle while I just walked over it.

 

Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53111882564/

Done