Insect Profiles: Your Macro Photo Compass for Buzzing & Humming

What is this page about?

This page is your hub for insect profiles. Here you’ll find a collection of field observations, accompanied by detailed macro photography. Each photo offers a glimpse into a microcosm that is often overlooked. Alongside the images, you’ll get short, easy-to-read profiles with key facts about each insect.

Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, hobby photographer, or simply curious – these insect profiles are a compass that shows just how fascinating the tiniest inhabitants of our world really are.

Yellow-Barred Long-Horn (Nemophora degeerella)
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Yellow-Barred Long-Horn (Nemophora degeerella)

Yellow-barred long-horn (Nemophora degeerella): A delicate day-flying moth with strikingly long antennae – harmless, beautiful, and easy to spot. Discover its secret life.

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Striped bug (Graphosoma italicum)
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Striped bug (Graphosoma italicum)

Discover the striped bug: appearance, lifestyle, distribution, and tips for wildlife-friendly gardens. Harmless, striking, and fascinating

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Blue-striped nettle grub (Parasa lepida)
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Blue-striped nettle grub (Parasa lepida)

How to identify and understand Parasa lepida: the green-yellow nettle grub from Asia with irritating spines, a wide host-plant range, and high damage potential.

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Reverdin’s blue (Plebejus argyrognomon)
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Reverdin’s blue (Plebejus argyrognomon)

How to identify, observe, and protect Reverdin’s blue: all key facts about its appearance, habitat, flight season, and reproduction…

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Common Snouted Grasshopper (Acrida ungarica)
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Common Snouted Grasshopper (Acrida ungarica)

The common snouted grasshopper (Acrida ungarica) is a perfectly camouflaged specialist of dry grasslands. Discover everything about its appearance, behavior, and distribution.

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Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi)
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Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi)

The wasp spider is a striking orb-weaver with black, yellow, and white stripes. Learn all about its appearance, lifestyle, reproduction, and distribution.

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Japanese Grasshopper (Patanga japonica)
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Japanese Grasshopper (Patanga japonica)

The Japanese grasshopper (*Patanga japonica*) survives winter as an adult. Learn everything about its appearance, behavior, diet, and distribution.

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Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata
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Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata

The large brown cicada defines Japanese summers with its loud calls. Learn everything about its appearance, lifestyle, reproduction, and distribution…

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Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
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Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)

The hummingbird hawk-moth is a day-flying migratory moth that hovers in place to sip nectar. Discover everything about its appearance, diet, lifestyle, and distribution…

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Red-veined darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii)
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Red-veined darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii)

The red-veined darter stands out with its vivid red coloring and two-toned eyes. Discover everything about its appearance, behavior, distribution, and unique traits.

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Early bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
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Early bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)

Discover Bombus pratorum: appearance, life cycle, diet, and tips on how to support this early-flying bumblebee in your garden.

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Gymnosoma rotundatum (Ladybird Fly) 
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Gymnosoma rotundatum (Ladybird Fly) 

Learn all about the small tachinid fly Gymnosoma rotundatum: appearance, life cycle, ecology, and its role in natural pest control.

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Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata) 
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Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata) 

Get to know Cetonia aurata: appearance, life cycle, diet, and how to spot and support this metallic green beetle in your garden. 

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Pardosa lugubris
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Pardosa lugubris

Get to know Pardosa lugubris: appearance, hunting strategy, life cycle, and tips on how to spot this agile ground hunter in your garden. 

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Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
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Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Get to know Bombus pascuorum: appearance, life cycle, diet, and practical tips on how to support this bumblebee in your garden. 

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Why insects and macro photography?

Macro photography reveals what usually escapes us in daily life: the delicate wing structures of a dragonfly, the pollen hairs of a bee, or the intricate patterns on a butterfly’s wings.
The mix of insect knowledge and photography not only brings you beautiful images but also explains why these creatures are so vital for us.

Example:

  • A photo of a bumblebee on a fruit blossom is more than just a pretty picture – it also shows its role as a pollinator.
  • A dung beetle in autumn, captured up close, looks like a tiny soil worker – and makes clear how important it is for soil health.

Key facts about the insect world

  • 75% of our cultivated crops depend on pollinators, though they account for only about 35% of global food production.
  • According to the Krefeld study, the biomass of flying insects dropped by up to 82% in midsummer between 1989 and 2016.
  • Main causes identified in scientific literature include intensive farming (including pesticides), habitat loss, climate change, and light pollution – even though the Krefeld study itself did not prove specific causes.
  • Insects are active year-round – from the first bumblebee buzz in spring to winter gnats in the cold season.

Why insects matter

Pollination

Without bees, bumblebees, and butterflies, there would be no apples, tomatoes, or berries.

Pest control

Ladybugs and lacewings keep aphids in check – no chemicals needed.

Soil health

Beetles and woodlice turn dead plant material into fertile humus.

Food source

Many animals, such as birds and bats, depend on insects for food.

Insect decline – and why it happens

  • Monocultures → Less flower diversity
  • Pesticides → Decline of many species
  • Sealed surfaces → Loss of habitat
  • Light pollution → Disorientation and exhaustion
  • Climate change → Shifts in flowering seasons
  • Extreme weather → Nests and larvae destroyed

Your gateway into the microcosm

The insect profiles on Wildenatur.com combine nature knowledge with macro photography, making the small world of six-legged creatures accessible to everyone.
Discover details you would never normally see, and learn why every buzz and hum is part of a bigger whole: our shared habitat.