What
Asparagus (Genus Asparagus)Observer
yasminamDescription
Looks quite similar to flowers under this genus! The tiny flower among many that is only about 3-4 mm in diameter grew surprisingly in the branches of an ornamental evergreen plant that I bought one year ago to grow in my Balcony!
Photos / Sounds
What
Lepiota elaiophyllaObserver
yasminamDescription
Noticed them growing in a plant pot quite near the plants stem, the larger being about 2 cm in diameter and gilled! The disappeared suddenly in a few days the way they have been suddenly noticed!
Photos / Sounds
Observer
yasminamDescription
Are seen again as usual around November, yet are more being heard and recognized by their typical sounds than seen much earlier in the area!
What
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)Observer
yasminamDescription
Happy to be able to grow tomatoes out of seeds in one of the flower boxes in my balcony of which these were the first flowers that yielded small tomatoes, after which the plant faded away!
What
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)Observer
yasminamDescription
Still one of the commonly seen and heard large sized birds in this area!
What
Onion Weed (Nothoscordum gracile)Observer
yasminamDescription
These beautiful small fine odorous flowers sudden appeared coming in groups out of tall slender leaves that I thought were only a kind of weed or grass this spring, in one of my abandoned flower boxes in my balcony!
Photos / Sounds
What
Eleven-spotted Ladybird Beetle (Coccinella undecimpunctata)Observer
yasminamDescription
This year I’ve noticed an abnormal decrease in all kinds of insects, including almost all kinds of flies and bees! I was so happy to notice this little ladybird inside my kitchen on a leaf of iceberg salad, on which it probably reached me! 😊
Photos / Sounds
What
Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)Observer
yasminamDescription
They were heard and seen in this area around the usual time (April) this year, yet harder for me to Photograph although I could hear and clearly recognize their sounds, because of removal of some Antennas they were usually resting on!
Photos / Sounds
What
European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster)Observer
yasminamDescription
These beautiful colored birds returned to their normal routine, visiting this area only around April this year (2023), disappearing in this year’s hot Summer months after noticing them the whole year long last year, (even in the Summer months hiding in the shade)!
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)Observer
yasminamDescription
These lovely songbirds are now one of the most abundant birds in the area gardens, in addition to the garden sparrows, and are heard almost all year long!
Photos / Sounds
Observer
yasminamDescription
This insect (1.5-1.75 cm in length) jumped in front of me out of a new flower pot that I just bought home! After the surprise I started the search & here are my best shots; somehow it reminded me of a previous experience with the crickets ( Gryllus), yet it appeared smaller, more slender, and with different appearance of the eyes , antennae, & cuticle!
What
Dark-winged Fungus Gnats (Family Sciaridae)Observer
yasminamDescription
Annoying tiny (1-2 mm) flies that I found hovering around my indoor plants especially when overwatered, and in the presence of high humidity! They look very similar to the fairy wasps but with some differences that I couldn’t evaluate due it’s tiny size! The image I provided was taken with a macro lens!
Photos / Sounds
What
Flamboyant (Delonix regia)Observer
yasminamDescription
I noticed many different trees with this same appearance and pattern of leaves in my area, but coming with different colors and appearances of the their flowers, including this well recognized red flower of the Delonix regia that only appears in spring and early summer!
Photos / Sounds
What
Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana)Observer
yasminamDescription
A common fruit in Egypt, given the name “Harankash”! Looks like cherry tomatoes but is greenish yellow in color, turning to orange yellow when ripe! The images are for it’s fruit (inside the green hairy covering), and the flower of the plant that I was able to grow in a plant-box in my balcony from the seeds in it’s fruit!
Photos / Sounds
What
Green Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus)Observer
yasminamDescription
1st time to note the fruit on these trees that are growing just in front of my balcony!
Photos / Sounds
What
Stripe-eyed Lagoon Fly (Eristalinus taeniops)Observer
yasminamDescription
Flies seem notably to be decreasing in number in my area! When I noted this fly in my balcony in January this year, I quickly noticed it’s banded eyes, and decided to take the images! It’s not the 1st time to notice this kind of flies in the balcony, but took the images for comparison!
What
Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)Observer
yasminamDescription
Bought them in two different colors of leaves! Here the pink dotted, which is very sensitive to amount of light and watering, but with little luck the succeed in growing and showing their tiny pink to violet flowers!
Photos / Sounds
What
Antlions and Owlflies (Family Myrmeleontidae)Observer
yasminamDescription
I found it in the Balcony early in the morning, has 2 pairs of laced wings, is about 2.4 cm in length, and has quite relatively long, thick, especially of it‘s indented ends (club shaped) antennae.
Photos / Sounds
What
Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)Observer
yasminamDescription
Just bought them from the florist, and was eager to know more about this beautiful flower!
What
Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)Observer
yasminamDescription
They‘re back again around the same time! I‘ve been hearing their sounds since the start of April, but were hard to see, probably hiding on the roofs! I feel lucky they allowed me to see them again! This one looks fluffier, with a shorter tail, the rose ring not being well developed, and I assume it may be a youngster!
Photos / Sounds
What
Mites and Ticks (Subclass Acari)Observer
yasminamDescription
Very tiny, less than 1 mm in length, the photos above being the clearest using my macro lens! Highly infective, web forming and rapidly spreading to cover green leaves, followed by their degeneration! They look similar to the whirligig Mites, in size and shape, yet are white in color, web forming, and a pest to me!
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus ChrysotusObserver
yasminamDescription
Tiny fly 3-4 mm in length, seen over indoor plants
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus GeocorisObserver
yasminamDescription
I noticed this tiny (about 4 mm in length) brown moving bug on a degenerating pumpkin flower in the balcony, and decided to have a closer look, when I was surprised by it‘s big red eyes (widely separated), orange head and legs, and well developed segmented antennae! (To me, it looked like a minute version of a stink bug)
Photos / Sounds
Observer
yasminamDescription
My area was revisited this winter by the bee eaters which were seen through November and December this year, usually noticed in the afternoon over antennae and line cords! Noticeable is their long forked tail that I haven‘t noticed in the previous European Bee eater visitors!
Photos / Sounds
What
Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitata)Observer
yasminamDescription
Found it indoors, in my kitchen! Was amazed by it‘s beautiful colored wings, colored eyes, and beautiful gold drawings on the back!
Photos / Sounds
What
Stranglewort (Cynanchum acutum)Observer
yasminamDescription
Small flowers in bunches.