Animals

The larvae of Dorcus parallelipipedus live and feed on decomposing wood, according to The Wildlife Trusts. The photograph of the catalogue documents an adult observed in the municipality; it shows no larvae or confirms the tree where they developed. Add this story to that of wood fungi: an aging trunk can sustain different life forms. To observe, you don't have to undo your shelter. In the adult, The Wildlife Trusts highlights the wide head, jaws, and wing covers entirely black. They are clues to compare with the available photograph, without concluding that all dark beetles belong to this species.

A flower can offer food, but it does not solve all the needs of a bee. Renata Santos and Albano Soares entomologists distinguish carpentine bees, who use dead wood to nest, from bees-miners, who need discovered soil. The diversity of shelters is also part of a garden.

The so-called insect hotels serve only part of the species, namely some that nest in cavities. They are a complement, not a universal home. The proposal is to recognize relationships between flowers, soil and wood; not to search or open nests. These general examples do not confirm local nests.

There is also a temporal dimension: different plants can offer flowers at different times. Researchers recommend diversity of forms and periods of flowering. Thus, when thinking of a garden, it is worth relating three questions: what provides food, where there can be shelter and at what time of year these resources are available.

The great green bush-cricket, Tettigonia viridissima, can go unnoticed among leaves and branches. According to the Gulbenkian profile, adult males reveal themselves by their song, while both males and females tend to hide in dense vegetation. The species occurs in habitats with shrubs and trees, including vegetable gardens and urban green spaces.

Nymphs already resemble adults but have poorly developed wings. Comparing life stages is different from identifying behaviour: the photograph recorded in Cabeceiras shows the insect on wood, without documenting its song. The image’s background is also not enough to describe the whole habitat where it was observed.

Developmental stage also changes what is easiest to observe. The profile suggests looking for nymphs among herbs and shrubs, while adults often remain hidden. Sound and images offer different clues: hearing a song without seeing the animal and photographing an insect without hearing it are not equivalent records. With the local photograph, keep to what the frame allows you to recognise.