Different days, different ways, different directions …
I have no real plan for my daily walks but, recently, my feet have been taking me past the local park whose railings have turned up some nice insects in the past, and the location is again proving productive.

This handsome ichneumon is one of my finds from last week and, though it hasn’t been confirmed (there doesn’t seem to be anyone nationwide verifying ichneumon records, unfortunately), I think this is Tromatobia lineatoria. There is another very similar looking ichneumon, Perithous scurra, but the female of that species has a much longer ovipositor.

I was a little surprised to find an ichneumon this late in the year but the Naturespot website says this species can be found between May and November, so this is right at the end of its date range. The website entry also says this ichneumon is a parasitoid of spider egg sacs; there are plenty of spider webs strung along the railings so my sighting in this location is understandable.