Fine streaked bugkins

26 Saturday Apr 2025

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Fine streaked bugkin, Fine streaked bugkin nymphs, Miridae, Miris striatus, Miris striatus nymphs, plant bug nymphs, plant bugs

At first glance, I thought these little creatures were fancy ants but a closer look took in the striped waist, the longer antennae and the generally larger size, and I knew they definitely weren’t ants. But what were they?

At this time of year, many insects are still in their early stages of development, particularly those that have over-wintered as eggs, so they can be tricky to identify. Usually, some well-focused internet research produces an answer, or a clue I can then follow, and, luckily, that was the case with these tiny creatures.

These are the nymphs of Miris striatus, a plant bug that has the wonderfully descriptive common name of Fine streaked bugkin – although these nymphs have their small yellow stripes, the streaking actually refers to the adult bugs, photos of which you can see on Naturespot by clicking this link.

That website entry states that these insects are usually associated with Oak and Hawthorn but, as I often find, creatures don’t read websites, and these bugkin nymphs were all on a single willow sapling (though there were Hawthorn bushes nearby). I’ll have to keep an eye out for the adults from May through to July.

Greedy for Garlic

20 Sunday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring, wildflowers

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Allium ursinum, British wildflowers, Dark-edged bee-fly, Honey bee, Ramsons, solitary bee, Speckled wood, spring flowers, Wild garlic

The first two days of the Easter break were very wet so I’m glad I took these images last Sunday. One of our local parks has the perfect environment for Wild garlic – Ramsons, if you prefer, Allium ursinum. A shallow ravine runs through the park, with a small stream meandering along its base, and, at this time of year, the steep sides of the gulley are carpeted with the lush green leaves and bright white umbels of garlic flowers. Elsewhere in the park, under tall old trees, the path is also lined with Wild garlic, so anywhere you walk, whenever you breathe, your nostrils are almost assaulted by garlic’s strong smell.

Though I know some people can’t tolerate this odour, it doesn’t seem to affect the insects, neither attracts nor repels them; a flower’s a flower, with the pollen and nectar that nurtures them. Last Sunday’s walk wasn’t particularly sunny but I still found a few creatures feeding greedily: a Speckled wood, a teeny solitary bee and a Honey bee, and a Dark-edged bee-fly.

Feeding the family

18 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Carrion crow, crow, feeding my crow friend

How many berry-flavoured suet pellets can YOU fit in your beak at one time?

I haven’t been to Cosmeston very often lately but, when I do, this gorgeous bird, my male Crow friend, comes flying almost directly to my feet. Of course, I know it’s not about me but rather the food I carry for him. And yesterday was definitely all about the food. He came alone and flew with several beaks full of food in to the trees, so I’m guessing he’s feeding his missus and possibly even young chicks. As their nesting attempt failed last year, I’m hoping my small contribution will help with this year’s.

Small zooming Orange-tips

15 Tuesday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring

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British butterflies, butterfly, male Orange-tip, Orange-tip

As I write this, a weather warning has just come into force, potentially bringing thunder, lightning and heavy rain from midday today until midday tomorrow. These warnings don’t always produce the forecast downpours but I feel for all the newly emerged small creatures, especially the delicate butterflies like this little Orange-tip. Of all the small Orange-tip males I’ve recently seen zooming along the hedgerows and banks of wildflowers, desperately seeking females, this one finally paused long enough to refuel, which allowed me to quickly snap a few photos. I hope he, and all his butterfly cousins, manage to find sufficient shelter to survive any deluges.

On the move

15 Tuesday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Common sandpiper, spring migration

I feel a little like this migrating Common sandpiper looks, ruffled, not at my best, discombobulated. If all goes to plan, I will be moving flats next week, and I’m up to my neck in cleaning, tidying, organising, packing, recycling, binning, repurposing, donating…. I’m sure you all know what it’s like. I just wanted to let you know that I’m trying to keep to my daily posting schedule (and those posts will appear below) but I may miss the odd day. Thanks to you all for following along with me here, and thanks, too, for your understanding.

Luscious leek for lunch

13 Sunday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, spring, wildflowers

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Allium triquetrum, Dark-edged bee-fly, Hairy-footed flower bee, insects on Three-cornered leek, solitary bee, Three-cornered garlic, Three-cornered leek

Today’s short local meander was rather smelly, firstly with swathes of Wild garlic (which will feature in an upcoming post) and also this lush area of Three-cornered leek (or Three-cornered garlic, Allium triquetrum), which was attracting lots of insects.

First up, a tiny solitary bee.

Then, several Dark-edged bee-flies came hovering in to view, long spiky legs dangling below and long tongues poking in to the flowers to feed.

And then this brute showed up, the first Hairy-footed flower bee I’ve managed to photograph this year, just.

Greenland Wheatear

12 Saturday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Greenland Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa, spring migration, Wheatear

I struggle to distinguish between the ‘usual’ Wheatears we see passing through my area and the Greenland Wheatear, one of four subspecies that has the scientific name Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa and is usually seen only in the spring as it heads from its overwintering locations in African countries like Kenya to its breeding grounds in Greenland, Iceland and north-eastern Canada. So, when one of our more expert local birders announced the arrival of this Greenland Wheatear on Cardiff Bay Barrage, I went down for a look.

It was certainly a very handsome bird, and I’ve since tried to familiarise myself with some its key features. Given the requirement for its long-haul flight, it’s probably no surprise that Greenland Wheatears are longer winged than the subspecies that fly from Europe to Britain to breed. The Greenland’s relatively large size, longer legs and upright stance are also diagnostic.

They are often described as rotund and pot-bellied, which this bird didn’t really seem to be, but then it had just flown all the way from central Africa so probably needed to feed up to replenish its fat supplies. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bothered by the numerous people and dogs walking in the area, and did seem to be finding plenty of insects to snack on. I’m not sure I could yet confidently identify a Greenland Wheatear without expert help, but this was certainly a stunning bird to see and watch and photograph.

What an effort!

11 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring

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British butterflies, butterfly, butterfly eggs, butterfly eggs on nettle, Peacock, Peacock butterfly, Peacock butterfly eggs, Peacock butterfly laying eggs, Stinging nettle

As I write this, my fingers are still stinging. And none of my photos are sharp, partly because ‘Ouch!’ but also because I didn’t want to disturb the clutch so was trying to move the leaf as little as possible. But, when I watched their beautiful mother laying the first of these yesterday, I knew I had to go back today to see how many she’d produced.

And here she is, the gorgeous female Peacock butterfly, clinging on to a Stinging nettle leaf. You might just be able to see how her abdomen is curved up towards the underside of the leaf where she is depositing her eggs. My guide book tells me that a female Peacock ‘lays her eggs in batches of up to 400 eggs, a process that can take over two hours’. What an effort! I will, of course, be looking out for when the tiny caterpillars emerge, in approximately two weeks’ time.

Mining bees

08 Tuesday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring

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Andrena species, Andrenidae, bees, British bees, mining bees, solitary bees

Mining bees, the Adrenidae, are notoriously difficult to identify I find, and, as my brain is already swimming with factors to consider when identifying spiders (and other life stuff that is happening in the background), I don’t have the mental capacity to tackle bees at the moment. Maybe they can be next year’s project.

In the meantime though, I can still appreciate how exceedingly cute they are, especially when they sit still for a few moments (which isn’t often) and allow me to get some close up photos (also not often).