Introduction
The Nature will always be unsurpassed Creator and Artist. A photograph allows fixing moments of the Nature without any destruction. Any animal or plant is alive after shooting (i.e., taking a photo!). A process to get a sudden shot, a track of mobile dragonfly, a waiting for a moment, when a butterfly freezes on a flower, afford pleasure which is well-known for hunters. Most of insects, spiders, butterflies and other animals have good eyesight, and under any possible threat they are at once flying away, run away, or hiding.
This site was planned as a photo-catalogue of the Native land Nature. Click any photo, most of them will be opened as enhanced in a new window.
All the photos are original, and a use of them is permitted only after writing grant. If you would like to connect immediately to us, please,
visit the page "Feedback".
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Basic objects of shooting are animals and plants of the South Urals. The South Urals nature is variegated, and, in spite of its modesty, charming.
Information written here could be useful for young fanciers of the Nature, who only begin to reveal the Native land beauty.
The photos are arranged in two main sections: Flora and Fauna. The sections will gradually be renewed.
 The photo-catalogue does not pretend to be the full list of plants and animals of the South Urals.
The purpose of sections is more popular than strictly scientific. The Latin names of plants and animals were taken from real key determination books, however,
authors will be pleased anybody who indicates mistakes in determination.
We invite any authors of similar sites in order to mutually exchange the site references.
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Rules to collect insects. The section is intended for beginner in collecting insects.
 Nobody can stop a person, who took a great interest in collecting butterflies or beetles,
therefore, it's necessary to know definite rules for collecting and raising biomaterial, which shall be carried out in order not to spoil collections,
and in order for the material to be scientific. The section includes brief information on insect collection methods, collected material storage, installation methods,
labels, etc.
Continuation…
If you are interested in methods how to get perfect butterfly specimen for a collection or how to perform the butterfly show for friends, please,
see the section "How to raise butterfly".
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Photographs and Sections |
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How to raise butterfly. Unlike beginners, the serious collectors rarely catch butterflies with a lift net. Butterflies are collected in
wild environment only when there is no possibility to raise them or when nobody saw them yet. More experienced collectors and scientists try to raise
butterflies from caterpillar or even from ova. The perfect specimen can be obtained only with the indicated method. Additionally, it is useful for an
observation of insect development. Raising caterpillars collected in wild environment, scientists may frequently discover flies and wasps which are
parasitizing on the caterpillars of that butterfly species. Therefore, even if a caterpillar successfully pupated, you could get some tens of flies
or wasps instead of butterfly. How to feed? Where to raise? How not to spoil butterfly appearing from pupa? Continuation...
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Brief Notes on Insect Taxonomy. The number of known insect species approaches to one million. Scientists suppose that about 1.5 – 10 million species
of insects may live on the Earth. Author of this note described 18 new species of wasp-parasitoids during only one year in the Central Asia. How many species are waiting
for their discoverers!
Taxonomy is a scientific means for classification and identification of living objects. To use those objects, you need clearly to distinguish them from others
which frequently have small differences. Therefore, the taxonomy is not a calculation of wing number or leg number, as external observer could seem…
Continuation...
Order Odonatoptera. Order Orthoptera. Order Homoptera.
Order Hemiptera. Order Coleoptera. Order Neuroptera.
Order Lepidoptera. Order Hymenoptera. Order Diptera.
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Love and Insects. Since it is difficult to find site in Internet without some elements of sensuality, we decided to follow this tradition.
We hope that the following photos will not provoke puritanical glares. This is Nature, due to which the chromosomal gene redistribution is occurring.
It is significant to remind of a fact that scientists study the insect genitals under microscope, and draw them, because they are taxonomic characters.
Continuation...
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We decided to make an individual page for ladybirds. Beginning from our childhood, this beetle excites our delight, when it runs to the finger end, spreads wings,
and flies up. Many of us told: "Ladybird, Fly up to the sky, there your children are eating cutlets…" However, who began to think which appearance the ladybird
children have. Continuation...
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Abundant lizards of the South Urals. Despite the fact that lizards are thermophilous animals and at the South Urals the species composition is small,
you can find these reptiles on the emblems of some organizations and even on the city emblems. In the Pavel Bazhov's tales based on the folklore,
the Mistress of Copper Mountain turned into a lizard watching the prospectors and craftsmen. Continuation...
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Roughly 30000 species of spiders were found. Spiders' head and thorax are coalesced into cephalothorax, and an abdomen has segments united without visible separation.
Abdomen and cephalothorax are jointed with slender pedicle. The cephalothorax has four pairs of legs. Venom gland ducts open at the chelicera ends.
The abdomen has 1-4 pairs of spinnerules. The spider web has great importance for spider life, including those which are not spinning the trap nets.
The caught prey is frequently spun by a spider with web.
Continuation...
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