Photos from Northern Norway: A photo blog » Insect

Picture of musk beetle (Aromia moschata)

Thomas Laupstad — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:15:23 +0000

Taken with Olympus EPL-1 digital camera July 2nd 2011. Click image for larger view.

Here I have photographed a musk beetle (Aromia moschata) just outside at a place called Bygdøy. It is incredible that you are able to find such beautiful insects so close to a big city.

The musk beetle is very characteristic with coppery or greenish metallic tint and the long antennas (click on the picture to view the insect in a larger view). This beetle can be found in southern Norway and I have seen it several times feeding on trees that has a cut in its trunk. The larvae of musk beetles are known to feed on willow trees and can actually hurt these trees.

Check out my other insect pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus EPL-1 digital camera
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 42 mm
ISO Speed 320
Location: Bygdøy, Oslo

Macro picture of Large marsh grasshopper (Stethophyma grossum) the largest Acrididae in Norway

Thomas Laupstad — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:52:04 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera September 6th 2010. Click image for larger view.
After moving to the south of Norway I have discovered many new species of insects that I have never seen in Northern Norway. In this photograph I have found one of these new species. This is a Large marsh grasshopper (Stethophyma grossum) that is quite common around my house. It is the largest Acrididae in Norway and can be quite a sight with its up to 37mm long. This grasshopper is often found in wet grasslands and and close to beaches. Since I live to close to wet areas we have lots of grasshoppers around our house, during the summer, making a constant buzz. Our chickens love to feed on grasshoppers so maybe they taste good?

There is about 30 species of grasshoppers in Norway and I hope I can photograph more species next summer.

Check out my other insect pictures here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture f/6.3
Focal Length 150 mm
ISO Speed 400
Lens: Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG HSM Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Macro picture of Goat Moth Larva (Cossus Cossus)

Thomas Laupstad — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:08:25 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera April 17th 2009. Click image for larger view.
Here is a close up picture of a Goat Moth Larva (Cossus Cossus) that we found last spring. This larva is found in most of Norway, but not further north than Nordland county. The larva often lives in old trees with leaves where it can live from two to five years before it crawls out. The goat moth larva can grow up to 10 cm long and the specimen in the picture is the largest larva I have ever seen. If you look closer at the picture you can see that the larva has some pretty big jaws. I did not dare hold it because it was pretty aggressive and bit straws that we put in front of it.

Spring is soon coming so hopefully there will be many opportunities to take pictures of cool insects and other buggers.
Check out my other photos of insects here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Fjellstrand in Nesodden, Akershus in southeast of Norway

Macro picture of Small Tortoiseshell butterfly (Nymphalis urticae)

Thomas Laupstad — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:02:37 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera April 30th 2008. Click image for larger view.
Small Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis urticae) butterflies has awaken from their winter hibernation and are flying around in the warm sunshine. Small Tortoiseshell is the first “day butterfly” that one can see here in Northern Norway in the spring, often on the first warm day.
They are really beautiful, don’t you think?

The Norwegian name for the Small Tortoiseshell is “Neslesommerfugl” which means Nettle Butterfly in English. The butterfly got that name because they lay eggs on nettle plants and their larvae eats nettle leaves. I have seen nettles completely covered with black Small Tortoiseshell larvae.

Check out my other insect photos here.

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 300 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 70-300mm F4.0-5.6
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in Northern Norway

Close up picture of housefly (Musca domestica) on snow – First insect in Northern Norway

Thomas Laupstad — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:25:34 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera March 10th 2008. Click image for larger view.
We have had a couple of warm days here in Northern Norway and a few insects have been waking up from their hibernation. In this picture you can see a common housefly (Musca domestica) sitting on some snow. Usually these flies are very hard to get close enough to get a good macro shot, but I guess the cold from the snow made this fly move slowly.
I can’t wait for all the insects to come back so I can start taking tons of macro photos.

Check out some macro pictures of flies from last year:
-Dance fly couple mating and eating a fly
-Hoverfly on a poppy flower

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in northern Norway

My favorite macro pictures from 2007 taken in Northern Norway

Thomas Laupstad — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:47:43 +0000

I’m a big fan of taking macro pictures, especially close up pictures of insects.
Here is a selection of my favorite macro pictures that I took in 2007.
Hope there will be lots of insects and other creatures to photograph in 2008

1. Macro photo of hermit crab and barnacle

2. Photo of a hoverfly on dandelion flower

3. Macro photo of five-spot burnet moths mating on flowers

4. Close up picture of common hawker dragonfly

5. A closer view of a snail

Check out my archive of macro photos.

Close up photo of hoverfly feeding on an autumn hawkbit flower

Thomas Laupstad — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:00:02 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera September 30th 2007. Click image for larger view.

This is probably my last insect photo this year as the snow came to northern Norway today.
In this picture you can see a hoverfly (not sure about the species) feed on an autumn hawkbit (Leontodon autumnalis var. taraxaci) flower. This flower looks a bit like coltsfoot, but autumn hawkbit flowers, like the name implies, in the autumn.

I’m starting to get a collection of pictures of hoverflies feeding on flowers. Here are a few pictures:

Hoverfly feeding on cow parsley flowers

Hoverfly on a poppy flower

Hoverfly on dandelion flower

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in northern Norway

Macro picture of a blue eyed sawfly (Rhogogaster viridis)

Thomas Laupstad — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:40:09 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 24th, 2007. Click picture for larger view.

Time for another macro photo of an insect. This time I have captured a sawfly (Rhogogaster viridis) clinging to a straw.
I really like the blue eyes on this sawfly. If you look at my other sawfly photo you can see that sawfly having a different eye color. I believe they are different species.
Need to get myself an insect book to educate myself on the nature around me.

Check out my other insect photos if you digg insects!

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/14
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Flash: Flash fired
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in northern Norway

Photos of cloudberry plants – different stages of flowering and berries

Thomas Laupstad — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:32:26 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on July 27th, 2007. Click picture for larger view.

I have taken some pictures of the cloudberry plant in different stages of flowering and the final product as a tasteful berry (as you can see in the photo above).

The cloudberry plant (Rubus chamaemorus), or bakeapple as it is called some places, is slow growing sub-arctic specie that is a very important berry here in northern Norway. Cloudberries are mainly used as jam, with whipped cream, in cakes and some even make alcoholic drinks out of the berries.
When the berries are ripe there is a lot of competition among people to get a good harvest. There have even been reports of fighting Thus the price on cloudberries can be as high as 18-20$/kg.

The following pictures are of the cloudberry plant in different stages of flowering.

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 14th, 2007. Click picture for larger view.

Notice the moth sitting on a leaf in this last picture.

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on June 14th, 2007. Click picture for larger view.

Have anyone tasted cloudberries? It is not my favorite berry, but it is very nice with whipped cream and tons of sugar.

Information about the pictures:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Focal Length: 35 mm
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Location: Laupstad (Andørja), Troms in northern Norway

Like these pictures? Please make a donation to support the site.

Macro photo of hoverfly feeding on cow parsley flowers

Thomas Laupstad — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:02:26 +0000

Taken with Olympus E500 digital camera on July 2nd, 2007. Click picture for larger view.

Time for a close up photo of a hoverfly again. This time the hoverfly is feeding on cow parsley flowers (Anthriscus sylvestris; also known as wild chervil, wild beaked parsley, and keck).

Check out my other macro photos of hoverflies:

Macro photo of hoverfly on a poppy flower

Macro photo of hoverfly on dandelion flower

Information about the picture:
Camera: Olympus E-500 digital SLR camera
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: Olympus Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro
Flash: Fired
Location: Ånstad (Andørja), Troms in northern Norway