57/365 Buzzing

26 Tuesday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani 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.

Two Harvestmen

17 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, spiders

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

British insects, British invertebrates, Harvestman, Harvestmen, Opiliones species

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.

181217 harvestmen (1)

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.

181217 harvestmen (2)

Death on the windowsill

27 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

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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.

181025 dead slater 181025 dead wasp

Mini-beasties at Llandegfedd

24 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird, nature

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bonking beetles, British insects, Llandegfedd Reservoir, minibeasts, Orange ladybird

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.

180924 Llandegfedd minibeasties (1)

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.

180924 Llandegfedd minibeasties (6)

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.

On the scabious

31 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

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#FloralFriday, bees, British insects, British wildflowers, bumblebees, Devil's-bit scabious, flies, hoverflies, insects on scabious, Lavernock Nature Reserve, Succisa pratensis

180831 devil's-bit scabious (1)

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!

On the umbel

17 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, plants, wildflowers

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#FloralFriday, British insects, British wildflowers, insects on umbellifers, umbellifer

180817 umbellifers

Be it ever so umbel, there’s no place …
better to enjoy a snack of nectar and pollen.

The Spotted longhorns

17 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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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).

180717 Spotted longhorn beetle (1)

Though the pattern of their black-and-yellow markings can vary a bit, they’re really quite unmistakeable.

180717 Spotted longhorn beetle (2)

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.

180717 Spotted longhorn beetle (5)

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.

One smart critter

14 Saturday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

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British insects, Oedemera nobilis, Swollen-thighed beetle, wildflowers

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The Swollen-thighed beetle (Oedemera nobilis) is very easy going when it comes to what nectar or pollen it eats. Judging by the number of different flowers I’ve seen it on, my conclusion is that it will slurp and snack almost anywhere, and this would seem to be a very good tactic for its future survival because the more specific the dietary requirements of an insect, the greater the chance it will suffer from changes to its environment and food plants. Being a generalist makes the Swollen-thighed beetle one smart critter!

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Hogweed bonking beetle

09 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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bonking beetle, British beetles, British insects, Common red soldier beetle, Hogweed bonking beetle, Rhagonycha fulva, soldier beetle

180712 hogweed bonking beetle (1).jpg

Officially, this is Rhagonycha fulva, the Common red soldier beetle, but I think you can see why it is known throughout Britain as the Hogweed bonking beetle. Out now on a Hogweed near you!

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Tiny and red

24 Sunday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, Apion frumentarium, British insects, National Insect Week, red weevil, weevil

For day 24 of my #30DaysWild, I’m actually going on a wander with a friend around my local area this evening, looking out for Swift nesting spots.

Apion frumentarium

But, as that probably won’t produce any photos and won’t finish until late, and as this is the last day of National Insect Week and these particular insects are incredibly cute, I thought I’d blog about some tiny wee red creatures I bumped into a couple of weeks ago.

Apion frumentarium

These are, I believe, Apion frumentarium, a rather gorgeous, if extremely small weevil that is quite common in Britain and spends most of its life on various members of the Dock family.

Apion frumentarium