wasps

A greeting post wishing followers a calm Saturday features a close-up photo of a hoverfly (family Syrphidae) on a sow-thistle flower, shared under the hashtag Insect Saturday. The post notes that hoverflies mimic wasps but are harmless to humans and can hover almost motionless in the air before darting off in a new direction. The weekend nature snapshot drew more than a hundred likes.

Under the German hashtag InsektenSamstag, nature enthusiasts are sharing insect photographs, including images of an ichneumon wasp from the genus Itoplectis, possibly the species I. maculator. The poster notes the insect was hard to keep in focus, linking to its Wikipedia entry. The hashtag brings together amateur naturalists posting close-up shots of insects and other creepy-crawlies each Saturday.