Sometimes Green is Red, Pt. 3 - _TNY_4884

I managed three visits to the Mjällådalen nature reserve during our July 2023 trip to my mother-in-law in Härnösand, Sweden (plus a fourth one in August).

 

This is from the third, and as on the previous two, my son joined me and proved an invaluable photography assistant and beetle herder.

 

My favourite find on this visit - and possibly of the entire trip - was this red morph of the green-socks peacock beetle (Elaphrus riparius). That's right, this is the very same species as this one: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53022438739/in/album-721...

 

This is the smallest peacock beetle in Sweden at 5-7 mm (.24") and quite variable in colour although this hue has to be considered quite extreme.

 

As before, Daniel turned out to be invaluable and we came up with a process where he put his hands down on the sand with his thumbs and index fingers formed in a diamond shape around the beetle so it couldn't run away and I then stuck the camera down close over it and took a shot whenever it took a little break in running around like it was on crack.

 

Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53047957138/

 

Part 2 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53157346483/

 

Also, I've made an album with just the shots of peacock beetles - 20 photos as of posting this: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/albums/72177720309780234

Done