Yavanna Aartsma

@fotoyaaf.bsky.social

633 Followers 146 Following

Entomologist and nature photographer in the Netherlands 📸 🐛 blogging about the amazing world of insects 🦋 wasps are awesome!

Photo of a moth visiting flowers during the night.
Wool carder bee male and female mating on betony plants. Taken in the Netherlands, June '26.
The larva of a sawfly finding its way on a wooden stick. Photographed in the Netherlands.
Hummingbird moth resting on a bicycle. This moth is usually seen hovering near flowers, but I guess this one needed a break! Taken in the Netherlands.
Golden-bloomed grey longhorn beetle getting ready to fly off.
An ornate tailed digger wasp visiting flowers of yarrow.
Small emperor moth resting on a dead tree during the day. Photo taken in the Netherlands, May 2026.
Small emperor moth resting on a dead tree during the day. Photo taken in the Netherlands, May 2026.
Large yellow underwing moth after emerging from the pupa. I found the pupa when digging in the garden and had put it on my desk to wait for its emergence. A few days ago, I wanted to go to bed, but noticed the moth coming out of the pupa. I placed it on a plant, where it kept unfolding the wings. After a while, it folded the wings into this position. The moth was released outside.
Large yellow underwing moth that just emerged from its pupa. I had found this pupa in the ground in my garden a few weeks ago, and had placed it on my desk. A few days ago, I wanted to go to bed when I noticed that the moth had just emerged. I quickly placed it on a plant to let it complete the unfolding of the wings. The moth was released outside after the wings were ready 😊
Small magpie moth resting on a leaf in the morning. Taken in the Netherlands.
Yellow iris flowers photographed with white background.
Bombus terrestris piercing a hole in a red campion flower to access nectar she can't reach with her tongue.
Red clover flowers.
Cauchas rufimitrella, a fairy long horn moth.
Peppered moth photographed on a lightsheet during the night.
Photo of my garden in May. Red campion, winter cress, hedgerow cranesbill, among others.
Caterpillar inside the seed pod of red campion. These caterpillars feed from the seeds and use the pods for hiding from predators.
A garden Bumblebee among flowers of red campion.
Forget-me-not flowers
A couple large red damselflies laying eggs underwater. A male beautiful demoiselle grasped the head of the male large red damselfly.
Elephant Hawkmoth, photographed during a moth monitoring event. Was attracted to the light and gently put on a twig for the picture.
Cinnabar moth touching a host plant to determine whether to lay eggs on it.
Rape seed flowers in the early morning, after a cold night. Flowers in front of the subject form vague yellow areas on the picture.
Four spotted chaser in the early morning. The dragonfly is still resting on this shrub.
Vanessa cardui (painted lady) butterfly migrant on Brassica sp flowers.
Close-up photo of an oxeye daisy.
Oxeye daisies in the evening sun.
Two poppy flowers shut sideways a bit.
Iris weevils on a buttercup flower.
White ermine moth encountered during the day. Photographed with some of it's environment visible, including the path where I walked while encountering the moth.
Ragged robin flowers that are white instead of the usual pink.
A craft by a 4 year old. Bracelet with buttercup flowers.
Ranunculus spec flower in the early morning in May 2025. It got quite cold that night. Focus stack, combining multiple photos to maximise sharpness of the flower while keeping a soft background.
Common bluebell flowers. Pinkish cultivar possibly. Taken in arboretum Belmonte, Wageningen.
Silver Y moth (Autographa gamma) active during the day and foraging on thistle flowers.
Garlic mustard photographed with white background.
Puss moth caterpillar, small instar that does not have the bright colors and typical stance yet.
Crane fly hiding between Brassica flowers.
Common wave moth (Cabera exanthemata), photographed in the grass near willow trees, which is the host plant for their caterpillars. Quite a sizable moth, making me think I was seeing a cabbage white butterfly at first, but the behavior didn't match. Taken in the Netherlands.
A European hornet guarding the nest entrance. When she sees an approaching hornet, she takes this defensive pose. Only her own nest-mates are allowed entry.
Close-up of dandelion seeds still on the plant. Taken in the early morning with dew drops.
Dandelion seeds in the morning.
Dandelion in a patch of ground-ivy.
Eggs of brimstone butterfly, found on alder buckthorn.
Flyer announcing an insect fair event in Wageningen on Saturday 25 april 2026. This day will have art stands, information stands and fun activities with an insect theme!
Andrena flavipes mining bee covered in pollen. Close-up with visible yellow pollen on the bee.
A bumblebee resting on grass in the evening. The golden evening sunlight caused this light effect through the leaves of the trees. Flash was used to illuminate the subject.
Andrena haemorrhoa, a mining bee, on willow. Willow flowers are invaluable for wild bees in early spring. Taken in the Netherlands, April 2026.
Chelostoma rapunculi bee sleeping in a perch-leaved bell flower. These bees are associated with bellflowers and need them for food.
Two greater bee-flies mating in my garden in the Netherlands, April 2026. Bee-flies use their long proboscis to drink nectar from flowers.
Banded darter dragonfly photographed in the early morning. Most of the dragonfly is out of focus, except the very recognisable dark bands on the wings. The wings are covered with droplets. Taken in the Netherlands.
Exuviae of Anax imperator dragonfly, with a spider.
Green emerald damselfly hiding in the vegetation. The image has a lot of contrast due to the background being in the sun and the leaves and damselfly in the shade. A summer image from 2022.