N is for nettle

19 Sunday Dec 2021

Tags

British insects, insects on nettle, Nettle, Stinging nettle

This is a plug for the much-maligned Nettle, a plant most of us humans quickly learn to recognise in order to avoid its stings, though most wildlife seems well able to avoid them. I’ve read that Nettles support 40 species of insect but I wonder if that number is on the conservative side. Here are a few insects I spotted on them earlier this year: 7-spot ladybird larva, the 1st instar of a Common green shieldbug, Grypocoris stysi, Nettle weevil, the larva of the hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri, and a Speckled bush-cricket nymph.

211219 nettles common green shieldbug 1st instar

211219 nettles Scaeva pyrastri hoverfly larva

211219 nettles speckled bush-cricket nymph

A Barkfly

24 Wednesday Nov 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Barkfly, British barkflies, British insects, Valenzuela flavidus

Looking for leafmines has had all sorts of spin-off benefits this year, as I’ve learned to recognise more tree species and encountered creatures I’ve never seen before. This little creature is a prime example: it has been confirmed as the Barkfly species Valenzuela flavidus.

211124 Valenzuela flavidus Barkfly (1)

Perhaps due to their tiny size (this one’s c.3mm), Barkflies are much under-recorded – I’d never even heard of them – but, as the Barkfly Recording Scheme website notes ‘The lack of recording ensures that even casual recorders of the group have a good chance of making significant finds. Wherever you live you are likely to turn up species previously unrecorded in the area and may even find species new to Britain.’ Seven new species of Barkfly have been discovered in just the past 10 years. So, that’s another insect group to keep a look out for.

211124 Valenzuela flavidus Barkfly (2)

Pillars of the insect community

30 Thursday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

British insects, moth caterpillars, moth larvae, mystery caterpillars, mystery larvae, sawfly caterpillars, sawfly larvae

To showcase their diversity, in colour, size, shape, pattern, habits and hairiness, I’ve been gathering photos of these (cater)pillars of the insect community, the larvae of moths, sawflies, and some mysteries, which could be one of these … or something other. Here they are:

Moths: 5-spot burnet (Zygaena trifolii), Drinker (Euthrix potatoria), and the delightfully named Maiden’s blush (Cyclophora punctaria).

Sawflies: a possible Allantus species (its identity cannot be confirmed as it was on the wrong plant), and the fluffy looking Eriocampa ovata.

Mysteries: if you can ID any of these, please leave a comment below. Thanks!

Danger in the daytime

14 Monday Jun 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British insects, Panorpa species, Scorpion flies mating, scorpion fly

It seems, from what I’ve just been reading on the NatureSpot website, that I was very lucky to catch these Scorpion flies in flagrante delicto:

Mating usually occurs at night. It can be a dangerous time for the male, if he is not careful the female might decide to kill him! To avoid this he presents her with a gift of a drop of saliva which, it seems, in the world of scorpion flies, is the equivalent of a bunch of roses or a box of chocolates.

210612 scorpion flies

Gone insecting

11 Friday Jun 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British insects, insecting

Some people go fishing; I go insecting, and these are an assortment of recent insect finds:
Red-headed cardinal beetle, Click beetle, Dock beetle, Earwig, the fly Nemorilla floralis, the Mirid bug Harpocera thoracica, the hoverfly Xylota segnis, insect eggs (possibly a ladybird species), Red-and-black froghopper, Scorpion fly, St Mark’s fly, and a weevil (not sure which species).

Little nibblers

08 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants, trees

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British insects, insect larvae, larvae on Guelder rose, larvae on Oak, Oak sawfly, Oak sawfly larvae, Viburnum beetle, Viburnum beetle larvae

Seeing these two different species of larvae was a good reminder to me that not all ‘caterpillars’ are butterflies or moths.

210608 oak sawfly

This first is the larva of an Oak sawfly (Periclista lineolata) that was happily munching away at a delicious young Oak leaf.

And these other little nibblers, above and below, covered in dots and dashes and munching on the leaves of Guelder rose, will grow up to be beetles, Viburnum beetles (Pyrrhalta viburni).

I doubt I’ll ever see the adult Oak sawfly, as they seem rather elusive, but I have more chance of spotting these beetles as adults so must remember to keep an eye out for them in July and August.

Hitchhiker

26 Monday Apr 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British insects, caddisfly

Something flitted close past my ear, pulling my hair, making a low thwack sound. I rubbed my neck, threaded my fingers through loose strands of hair, thinking an insect had landed on me … nothing. I pulled off and checked my cap … still nothing. Thirty minutes or so later, as I had finished my meander around the park, I took off my backpack to put my camera away and found this hitchhiker, a Caddisfly.

210426 caddisfly (1)

Even as I unzipped my bag to get my macro camera, it remained motionless. I got down within inches of its face and took several photos, yet still it didn’t move. Eventually, wanting to get it off my backpack, I had to poke it gently with my finger and even then it just climbed on to my finger and moved slowly around my hand. I don’t think it was injured at all, just remarkably laid back about human contact. Finally, I managed to persuade it to climb on to a nearby bush where it could snooze in the sun in peace.

210426 caddisfly (2)

The Blackthorn is buzzing

23 Friday Apr 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring, trees

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

blackthorn, Blackthorn blossom, British insects, British trees, insects on Blackthorn blossom, Spring colour

210420 8 bee sp

Flies and hoverflies, bumbles, bees and butterflies – all love feasting on Blackthorn blossom as much as I love watching them enjoying its bounty. And the blossom itself is so blindingly white it’s like a springtime snowfall when the petals fall to the ground.

Shieldbugs on gorse

22 Thursday Apr 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British insects, British shieldbugs, Dolycoris baccarum, gorse, Gorse shieldbug, Hairy shieldbug, Piezodorus lituratus, shieldbugs on gorse

I had expected to find Gorse shieldbugs on these glowing gorse bushes (the clue’s in the name) but, in fact, the most numerous were the Hairy shieldbugs (of which there must have been at least 20).

The Gorse shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus) (above left) looks very like a Common green shieldbug but its red antennae are a distinctive identification feature. The Hairy shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) (above right, and below) is a much more colourful character, a stylish combination of purple-brown and green, and it also has distinctive antennae, this time three white bands on a black base.

210422 hairy shieldbug (2)

Small and green

13 Tuesday Apr 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British insects, Common Green Shieldbug, Exapion ulicis, Gorse weevil, Green shieldbug, Palomena prasina

Slowly, slowly, more insects are emerging. When I was getting a Gorse photo for last Sunday’s yellow wildflower challenge, this teeny tiny Gorse weevil (Exapion ulicis) paid a visit. I’m not sure if it was getting salt from my hand as it seemed quite reluctant to leave.

210413 gorse weevil

And yesterday I was scanning a Buddleja for leaf mines when I had the feeling I was being watched. This Common green shieldbug (Palomena prasina) was very well camouflaged sitting perfectly still on its leaf.

210413 green shieldbug