I recently had a surprise visitor! 🤗
Apparently it gets around that then you will be known on Instagram. 🤔 "Hey, I just pretend that I accidentally got into this apartment and do something interesting to film me!" 😃

Clever little cockroach! 👍 Unfortunately you forgot to tell me your name! 😜

Last night, I discovered this early instar nymph of the cockroach Planuncus tingitanus s.l..🔦 It's a species complex which still needs much research. 🔬
Originally from the Mediterranean, they have spread rapidly in Europe in recent decades. In Germany, they were first found in Mainz in 2007. That's about 50 kilometers away from Oberursel. They live on shrubs near human settlements🌳🏘🏡 but only accidentally get into houses and only live outside.

Last night I photographed this small leafhopper (Jassargus sp.). Looking for tiny animals is fun, but in the darkness even more!

Sac spider,
Clubiona sp.
(04/2016 in Oberursel, Germany)

Sac spiders look pretty similar to jumping spiders. That's because of their similar way of life. They don't hunt with nets but with their two big claws and they're excellent climbers. During daytime they usually sleep in sack-shaped dwellings made of plant parts and silk.

Houseflies mating,
Musca domestica
(08/2015 in Oberursel, Germany)

Insects have a different nervous system than vertebrates like us. 🎉🎊 Not everything is controlled by the brain. 🙃🌳 The nerve cords are similar to a rope ladder. ☝🐝 In each body segment are two interconnected ganglia. ✌🐜 In the head several ganglia are fused together and form the brain. 👈🤓 The brain isn't really needed for survival, because the vital functions 💕 take place in other body segments. 💪😃 However, the fly can take without head no liquid or food. 💀🌈

A dancing caterpillar of the brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea). 🐛🎵
It's German name is Goldafter. 💩💰😅 Hairs from those caterpillars are toxic for humans. They cause an itchy rash! ☠ At the moment, there are many in the bushes along the railway tracks, which they eat bare.
Music: "Shrimp Rich" by septahelix (2019 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

Tachinid fly,
Tachina fera
(04/2019 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany)

The German name of this fly is Igelfliege, which means hedgehog fly. ❤ These loveable creatures lay their eggs on leaves. 🌿 When the maggots hatch, they crawl into caterpillars.👍🐛 One maggot per caterpillar. ☝🐛The caterpillar then plagues a lifelong feeling of internal erosion until it finally finds its well deserved death. 💀🐛 Take a look at this cute fly! 😍 It's very useful in pest control. They are cruel but very effective!

Red paper wasp,
Polistes canadensis
(10/2018 in Santa Teresa, Peru)

I've often encountered them in the Cusco region. With a wingspan of about 5 cm, they belong to the larger wasp species. The species name refers to Canada, but it doesn't occur there. The first describer, zoologist Carl von Linné, was misinformed. The red paper wasp lives in neotropical regions from Argentina to USA. Unfortunately, I couldn't photograph any of them alive. But a dead insect can also be quite interesting! I think it would fit well in a Star Wars movie, right?

Common toads, Bufo bufo
(07/2015 in Oberursel, Germany)

Sexual maturity occurs after 3-5 years. Wonder if their adventurous life has led them back to this pond?

The epitome of life is a melody you always carry in your heart. You just have to feel and sing to it! No matter where you are!