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.

Signs of spring: minibeasts

03 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 6 Comments

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bees, bumblebee, flies, hoverflies, ladybird, minibeasts, signs of spring

‘If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.’
~ E. O. Wilson (1929 – ), American biologist, environmentalist, author

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He of the many many legs

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, nature photography

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flat-backed millipede, millipede, minibeasts

Though the word millipede comes from the Latin for ‘thousand feet’, the Common flat-backed millipede (Polydesmus angustus) only usually has between 40 and 70 feet, and no species of millipede has more than 750. I guess whoever originally named them got tired of counting!

160201 Millipede (Polydesmus complanatus) (3)

Growing up to 25mm long, this little creature is actually the largest and most common millipede in Britain, though it’s seen more frequently in England and Wales. Just like the woodlice it’s with here, it prefers damp shaded places, perhaps under logs, stones or bark, or amongst leaf litter, in woods and on farm lands but also in the home garden. Although it has many many legs, it actually moves quite slowly so, rather than running away from perceived danger, it secretes an unpleasant chemical from pores along its body to deter predators.

160201 Millipede (Polydesmus complanatus) (2)

The millipede’s favourite foods include fungi and dead vegetation, and it is a useful recycler of nutrients back into the soil. This little millipede gets its name from its broad body armour which makes its body look rather flat and helps it push its way into narrow crevices under bark or beneath stones.

Hawthorn Shield Bug

25 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, nature photography

≈ 4 Comments

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Hawthorn Shield Bug, minibeasts, shield bugs

Some might think the Hawthorn Shield Bug has a rather unfortunate scientific name, Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale, but it’s really quite descriptive: acantho is from the ancient Greek for thorn, soma means body, and haemorrhoida derives from the Greek for discharging blood or bleeding, so this bug has a thorn-like body with red patterning that looks like bleeding. The common name is also appropriate: it has a body shaped like the shields of knights of olden times, and the food of choice for its larvae is the hawthorn berry (though they will also eat the berries of rowan, cotoneaster and whitebeam).

160125 Hawthorn Shieldbug (3)

Growing up to 17mm (0.67in) long, the Hawthorn Shield Bug is the largest and most common of the five types of shield bug found in Britain, and is also found throughout Europe, in woodlands, parks and gardens. Its colouring means it is usually very well camouflaged and I only found these three bugs by chance today – my eye was attracted to their leaf and they were inside when I uncurled it. The adult bugs usually hibernate during the winter months but often emerge to snack on the leaves during milder weather. I curled them back up in their leaf after taking these photographs so they could continue their snooze.

160125 Hawthorn Shieldbug (2) 160125 Hawthorn Shieldbug (1)