My chef skills have inexplicably improved all of a sudden

Thanks to @Lycomorpha for illustrating this gorgeous piece in Scientific American on our latest work on why #insects end up trapped around light pollution: scientificamerican.com/article/why-in…

Large red damselflies are out in force, busy making the next generation. Seen here is how a male's abdominal tip clasps onto the female's neck, allowing them to fly and manoeuvre in tandem.

The very handsomest beetle I've ever seen. Anomala? Leaf chafer from Taipei, Taiwan.

My favourite little dipteran aliens. I can't get enough of stalk eyed flies!

Look at those feet! This might look like a leptogaster robberfly, or Ammophila wasp, but it's neither. This is actually a beefly in the genus Systropus. Absolutely wild, I had never even heard of them.

I've wanted to see one of these for years. Mantispids are glorious, especially in banana yellow.

This Microstylum oberthurii robber fly has just the most incredible wings. At about 4 cm long, this is one of the largest robbers I've ever seen. And a fine ginger beard as well, what an incredible insect!

Now this is really odd. This tiny fly only translates, but never rotates. He travels as fast forwards as backwards and swaps instantly. He almost looks like he's sliding around on ice. Just bizarre! Pls ignore the ant. Or don't, up to you.

One of the more unusual couplings (triplings?) I've seen. Yes all three are boys, the females aren't red at all. Happy pride month I guess? 🌈

No this isn't some special butterfly charm. Many insects like these old duffer butterflies will chase any moving patch of contrast in the hope it's a female (or to chase it out of their territory). Even if it's a bright white polystyrene ball on a stick! 🦋

This (I think?) is Papirioides jacobsoni, quite the weirdest little springtail! Complete with a fluffy plume. I'd love to know what its for. Potentially I would guess sensory, for air currents or weak electrical fields. Bonus points for the stripey trousers.

The remarkable wings of Ryothemis fuliginosa, the butterfly dragonfly. While most of the time they look a dark black, they shimmer with iridescence when viewed from above. Males display this iridescence to eachother when fighting.

This is Pogonostoma funebris, a robberfly from Taiwan. As with many robberflies, the lenses of their eyes are larger in the frontal portion. This is due to diffraction limits on visual resolution. This large-lens area acts as a high-resolution acute zone like our own fovea.

This Ricania sp. (probably marginalis) is a type of planthopper. These intricately ornamented wings are relatively unusual. Not only do they make for striking signals on the ground, but they make for extremely erratic, evasive flight.

A young male Trithemis aurora after the rain. Staying dry is important to many flying insects, as even a few water droplets can greatly increase their mass.

Free webinar with Sam Fabian about aerial pursuit and combat in insect flight. #entomology BENHS Royal Entomological Society NBN Trust Buglife AES - amentsoc.org Field Studies Council Imperial College London British Dragonfly Society eventbrite.co.uk/e/957273048457

Free webinar with Sam Fabian on the epic aerial battles of insect flight! Discover how they fight for prey, mates & territory, with 3D reconstructions of their dogfights. 🪰✨ 📅 03 Mar 25 | Online 🎟️ eventbrite.co.uk/e/957273048457 Buglife British Dragonfly Society Field Studies Council