03 Friday May 2019
Posted in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, spring
Tags
#365DaysWild, British insects, Dock bug, Eristalis sp, Green shieldbug, harlequin ladybird, hoverfly, insects on bramble, Nursery web spider, Speckled wood, Syrphus sp, wasp
Ingredients: 1 patch of Bramble, lashings of sunshine, a tablespoon of warmth, a dash of Springtime
Method: Stand and stare
Result: Nursery web spider, Dock bug, hoverfly (Syrphus sp.), Speckled wood butterfly, Green shieldbug, bee species, another hoverfly (Eristalis sp.), Harlequin ladybird, and wasp (Vespula sp.).
06 Saturday Apr 2019
Posted in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, plants, spring
Tags
British insects, Exapion ulicis, gorse, Gorse shieldbug, Gorse weevil, Piezodorus lituratus, shieldbugs, weevils
I got some strange looks today when I was out walking – nothing unusual about that really. This time it was because I had my nose in a gorse bush looking for its special critters – and I found them. First, I was delighted to spot two tiny Gorse weevils (Exapion ulicis). I’ve only found them once before and these two led me a merry dance, in and around the gorse leaves, not wanting to have their photo taken. One disappeared but I managed to grab a couple of pics of the other.
The other critters were much easier, at least ten of them, probably many more, hiding in plain sight – that’s how well camouflaged they are. These Gorse shieldbugs (Piezodorus lituratus) were also camera shy and the gorse thorns made a few holes in my hands as I tried to pull the gorse this way and that to get some photos. But it was worth every speck of blood!
05 Friday Apr 2019
Posted in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, spring
Tags
#365DaysWild, British insects, bumblebee, flies, hoverfly, insects, ladybird
I only managed to grab an hour’s walk today, once again dodging the rain showers that have been rolling in throughout the day. I thought I might blog about the wild garlic that’s covering every inch of the wilder areas in Penarth’s Alexandra Park but decided it would be better to wait until the flowers are at their peak as that would make for better photos. Then, as I was checking out the garlic and taking a few shots, my eye was caught by the number of insects sitting on their leaves, basking in the fleeting patches of sunshine, braving the weather on this mostly grey wet day. So here they are …
26 Tuesday Feb 2019
Posted in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, spring
Tags
bees, British insects, climate breakdown, climate change, hoverflies, insects emerging early, spring in winter
For the second day in a row, places in north Wales have posted record high winter temperatures and, though a chilly breeze has kept things a bit cooler here in the south, it’s still much warmer than it should be. And these unseasonable highs have been responsible for the early awakening of much insect life. On today’s wander I spotted several hoverflies and bumblebees, a Brimstone butterfly flew past my house earlier, and the cherry tree outside my window has been buzzing with bees all day. It’s wonderful to see all these critters out and about again but it’s also a worry as winter’s probably not finished with us yet.
17 Monday Dec 2018
I found these two mini-beasties lurking on the outside of my building the other day. They may look like spiders but they’re not really – they’re Harvestmen (Opiliones species). Unlike true spiders, Harvestmen can’t spin webs and their bodies have only one segment, not two. They’re completely harmless – no venom – and, I think, rather prehistoric looking.
And I just discovered this very interesting but slightly creepy snippet of information about them on the UK Safari website:
When attacked, harvestmen are able to shed a leg as a defensive trick. Even after the leg becomes detached from the body it continues to jump and flick about. This distracts the predator while the harvestman makes its escape. They are able to shed up to four legs in this way, but they need to retain at least one of the sensory legs to survive.
27 Saturday Oct 2018
Tags
British insects, dead insects, dead insects on the windowsill, dead slater, dead wasp, dead woodlouse, slater, wasp, woodlouse
I don’t know about you but, except on the very coldest of days, I like to have my windows open, at least for a short time each day, to let some fresh air into the house. Trouble is the little critters seem to sense that it’s warmer indoors than out and, if I don’t notice their presence, they don’t manage to escape with their lives. This morning I found two casualties, a Slater and a Wasp.
24 Monday Sep 2018
While my fellow birders were standing in a particularly windy spot to scope the distant shoreline at Llandegfedd Reservoir last Wednesday, I moved along the trail a little to seek shelter behind some trees. And, as I always do, I had a little look at the leaves to see what small creatures were about.
First up were these two bonking beetles who decided to come over and say hello despite being rather busy at increasing their species. After a couple of photos, I returned them to a new leaf and wished them well.
Then it was a warm welcome to the world to this newly emerged Orange ladybird – that little pile of dark matter is what remains of its pupa.
And I’m not sure what this mini-beastie is but I love its pale green body, the hint of turquoise in its wings and those incredible feathery feelers out front.
31 Friday Aug 2018
Posted in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers
Tags
#FloralFriday, bees, British insects, British wildflowers, bumblebees, Devil's-bit scabious, flies, hoverflies, insects on scabious, Lavernock Nature Reserve, Succisa pratensis
Devil’s-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis) has a beautiful flower that paints the wildflower meadows at Lavernock Nature Reserve in shades of purple lusciousness and provides some very welcome late summer nectar and pollen to a host of insects, particularly bees, flies and butterflies.
And that name? Well, the story goes that the devil was not pleased that the plant’s medicinal properties were healing the skin conditions of people suffering from bubonic plague and scabies so, in a fit of rage, he tried to kill off the plant by biting off the ends of the plant’s roots. Ever the party pooper!
17 Friday Aug 2018
Posted in insects, nature, plants, wildflowers
Be it ever so umbel, there’s no place …
better to enjoy a snack of nectar and pollen.
17 Tuesday Jul 2018
Tags
British beetles, British insects, Longhorn beetles, longhorns, Rutpela maculata, Spotted longhorn beetle
I’ve been seeing quite a few of these handsome mini-beasties recently, the Spotted longhorn beetles (Rutpela maculata).
Though the pattern of their black-and-yellow markings can vary a bit, they’re really quite unmistakeable.
They’re large beetles and look quite fierce, but they’re harmless.
Spotted longhorns are most often found feasting on the pollen of the umbellifer and other flowers that grow in hedgerows and alongside woodland paths.
Their larvae overwinter in rotten wood, then emerge as adults in late Spring, so these lovely longhorns can be seen from May through till around the end of August.
