Twenty two

09 Wednesday Nov 2022

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, ladybird

Tags

British ladybirds, Harlequin ladybirds, ladybirds

I know the weather’s been mild – we haven’t even had a frost here yet – but I still didn’t expect to see a bunch of ladybirds on nettles as I walked through a local park on Monday afternoon. Initially I thought there were just one or two but the little red dots just kept on appearing so I retraced my steps to where I’d seen the first one and counted. Twenty two! Sadly, they were all the invasive Harlequins but hopefully that means the native breeds are all tucked up somewhere safe for the winter.

221109 ladybirds

Spot the dots

13 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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7-spot ladybird, British ladybirds, Coccinella septempunctata, Seven-spot ladybird

Isn’t it lovely to see ladybirds again? There were at least eight 7-spot ladybirds on these freshly sprouted Nettle plants, possibly more mini-beasties hiding under the leaves, but I wasn’t going to get stung looking for them.

220413 7spot ladybirds

Ladybirds galore

11 Thursday Nov 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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Tags

British ladybirds, harlequin ladybird, Harlequin ladybird larva, ladybird larva

I was really surprised during Tuesday’s walk to see so many ladybirds still about – not only adults but also a lot of larvae, and this one pair of adults that obviously thought it was springtime not late autumn.

On one small section of nettles growing along the road verge there were over 20 ladybirds.

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Unfortunately, every single one was a Harlequin ladybird – not a 7-spot or other species to be seen.

22-spots

05 Thursday Aug 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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22-spot ladybird, 22-spot ladybird larvae, British ladybirds, ladybird larvae, Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata

Yesterday was the first time I’ve seen the larvae of the 22-spot ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata).

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I was checking Lesser burdock plants for their special fly Terellia tussilaginis when I noticed first the distinctive yellow-and-black markings of the adult 22-spot and then, lower down on the big floppy burdock leaves at ground level, several of the also distinctive larvae. I do like it when insects are easy to identify!

210805 22-spot (1)

Hannibal Harlequin

15 Thursday Jul 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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7-spot ladybird, 7-spot ladybird pupa, British ladybirds, Harlequin eating 7-spot, harlequin ladybird, Harlequin ladybird larva

In the Silence of the Lambs, it was Hannibal Lecter; in the world of ladybirds, it’s Hannibal Harlequin. Yes, folks, though I’m sure you all thought ladybirds were cute, it’s actually a ladybird eats ladybird world out there! In this case, a Harlequin ladybird larva is eating the pupa of a 7-spot ladybird.

210715 ladybirds

The 7-spot cycle

05 Monday Jul 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

7-spot ladybird, 7-spot ladybird lifecycle, British ladybirds, Coccinella septempunctata, ladybird life cycle

A few weeks ago I wrote about going insecting and showed a few of my recent finds, including what I suspected was a photo of ladybird eggs. Sure enough, when I revisited that particular spot last week, I found ladybirds in various stages of development. When I add in a photo, taken in a previous year, of ladybirds about to mate on a gorse bush, we have the full lifecycle: mating, eggs, larva, larva beginning to pupate, pupa and recently emerged adult (they often emerge quite pale), all of the 7-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata).

Red spots

18 Thursday Mar 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird, spring

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7-spot ladybird, British ladybirds, Coccinella septempunctata, Seven-spot ladybird, Spring colour

A tiny spot of red caught my eye, and then, close by, another – my first ladybirds of the year, both Seven-spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata).

210318 ladybird (1)

If you’re lucky, you may have had these little beauties hibernating in your garden shed but, in this case, these two are countryside dwellers so have probably spent the winter inside a plant stem, or perhaps tucked securely within the dense branches of ivy, or maybe in a deep crack in tree bark. A few sunny days and warmer overnight temperatures will have triggered their emergence from hibernation, and produced another spring treat for me to enjoy!

210318 ladybird (2)

185/366 Grounded

03 Friday Jul 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

7-spot ladybird, British ladybirds, ladybirds, Seven-spot ladybird

This is a bit of a sad story. During yesterday’s walk, I spotted this Seven-spot ladybird sitting on a leaf alongside the path.

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It was acting a bit strangely: opening its elytra (wing cases), raising its abdomen, shutting its elytra, over and over again. It took me a minute to realise that it only seemed to have one full-size wing; the other appeared stunted or perhaps it had been damaged and was no longer able to be extended.

200703 7spot ladybird (2)

I presume the ladybird was trying to remedy the problem through its movements but they didn’t seem to have any effect, and I fear this ladybird may be forever grounded.

200703 7spot ladybird (3)

95/366 The buzz of new life

04 Saturday Apr 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird, nature, spring

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

bees, British insects, bumblebees, flies, hoverflies

It only takes a few sunny days and warming temperatures to bring out the mini-beasties. These are some of the bees and bumbles, flies and hoverflies I’ve spotted over the past week or so. Oh, and I mustn’t forget, my first 7-spot ladybird of the season.

85/365 A day of firsts

26 Tuesday Mar 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, ladybird, nature, spring

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#365DaysWild, 7-spot ladybirds, bee-flies, Comma butterfly, Common Green Shieldbug, Dark-edged bee-fly, Peacock butterfly, Penarth Rail Trail, Sawfly, south Wales coastal path, Speckled wood

190326 (1) rail trail

I walked further than I intended today but I just couldn’t resist the sunshine, the calls of the birds, the bees and hoverflies buzzing all around, the white blossom and the vibrant green leaf growth … it was magical! Yesterday, I saw my first Peacock butterflies of the year and today I saw four more, plus my first two Speckled woods and my first Comma, my first Common green shieldbug and my first Dark-edged bee-flies, lots of them, and my first 7-spot ladybirds. It gladdens my heart to see so much new life emerging.