The Flickr Leathery Image Generatr

Stiff-footed Sea Cucumber, Eupentacta quinquesemita, with one tentacle bent down to feed mouth,Port Orchard Marina, Washington State, USA

Peppered Sea Cucumber, Cucumaria piperata, with Pacific Blue Mussel, Port Orchard Marina, Washington State, USA

Stiff-footed Sea Cucumber, Eupentacta quinquesemita, Port Orchard Marina, Washington State, USA

Stiff-footed Sea Cucumber, Eupentacta quinquesemita, feeding with one tentacle in mouth, Port Orchard Marina, Washington State, USA

Stiff-footed Sea Cucumber, Eupentacta quinquesemita, with one tentacle bent down to feed mouth,Port Orchard Marina, Washington State, USA

Skate egg case, also known as a mermaid's purse, on Mocrocks Beach, Pacific Ocean, Washington State, USA

Really pleased with how this male European carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) on a lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) was cool enough to allow me to get close enough to snap several shots with the Canon MP-E65 mm lens on the camera without flying away.

This was taken at 1:1 magnification which means the front of the lens was 101 mm / 4" from the bee's (cool-looking) eyes. Part 1 was significantly closer (2:1) and can be found here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53969775482/

If you want to see more shots of this bee - probably my favourite insect - then I have an album with, at the time of posting, 81 shots of them here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/albums/72157667862870066/

Adult shieldbugs (nlike the nymphs) can fly. I found one like this at my mom's summer house and was walking around with it on my finger looking for a good background to shoot it on and right as I put it down, it decided to open its wings and take off.

So when I found another one half an hour later, I quickly placed it on the closest green I could find which turned out to be the potted Begonia on the patio table.

This one was ok with that though and stayed still for multiple shots. The species is called the forest bug (Pentatoma rufipes), but also the red-legged shield bug which fits with the scientific name ("rufipes" literally means "red-legged").

This stuffed alligator decorates the ceiling of a winery in Madeira Florida.

The Carabus coriaceus ground beetle lacks a common English name but both the Swedish and German names reference the leathery appearance of it so perhaps we informally could dub this the leather ground beetle?

Either way, this is the largest ground beetle in Sweden and can reach a total length of 40 mm (1.6") which really is quite hefty.

Also, a large beetle needs large mandibles. Just look at the set of mandibles on this one - looks like a pair of bolt cutters!

This particular one kept running and running over the moss in the pretty dense spruce forest of the Rudan nature reserve in Handen on the south side of Stokholm, Sweden, but I stayed on it and when it finally stopped - it suddenly kept completely still, enabling me to get very close. This was when I noticed it had a bunch of mites in various size climbing around on its head.

I believe these mites belong to the family Parasitidae, but to be phoretic mites, as in them using the host for travel and not feeding on it. The long legs suggest them being predatory.

Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51635767143/

Part 2 (closer) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51683005470/

Part 3 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51862369340/

Part 4 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53454151260/

A very close-up shot of one of the mites here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51706471201/

a7rii + Ross Projection Lens 4 3⁄8 in.

A fifth instar green shield bug (Palomena prasina) climbing up a stem in a raspberry shrubbery in pursuit of a juicy raspberry (or raspberry leaf) to stick its rostrum into to suck out some tasty juice from.

After moulting one final time, this one will look more akin to this: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51908998607/

Here is an adult green shield bug (Palomena prasina) from Åva-Stensjödal in the Tyreesta National Park, just south of Stockholm, Sweden.

Unlike beetles, shield bugs go through five instar stages as nymphs before finally shifting into the imago - the adult form.

For a shot from the same day of one which still is in one of theinstar stages, please have a look here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52715358068/

In North America, shield bugs are known as "stink bugs" and in Swedish, the name "bärfis" literally translates to "berry fart". This is because they employ spraying a foul-smelling liquid as a form of defense against predators - skunk-style.

The Carabus coriaceus ground beetle lacks a common English name but both the Swedish and German names reference the leathery appearance of it so perhaps we informally could dub this the leather ground beetle?

Either way, this is the largest ground beetle in Sweden and can reach a total length of 40 mm (1.6") which really is quite hefty.

Also, a large beetle needs large mandibles. Just look at the set of mandibles on this one - looks like a pair of bolt cutters!

This particular one kept running and running over the moss in the pretty dense spruce forest of the Rudan nature reserve in Handen on the south side of Stokholm, Sweden, but I stayed on it and when it finally stopped - it suddenly kept completely still, enabling me to get very close. This was when I noticed it had a bunch of mites in various size climbing around on its head.

I believe these mites belong to the family Parasitidae, but to be phoretic mites, as in them using the host for travel and not feeding on it. The long legs suggest them being predatory.

Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51635767143/

Part 2 (closer) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51683005470/

Part 3 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51862369340/

A very close-up shot of one of the mites here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51706471201/

As seen along the B&M railtrail in Hampton, New Hampshire on Thanksgiving.

The foot of a massive American alligator in Polk County, Florida.

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/

A fallen leaf