Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae) |
In late 2017, we moved into a house on a half-acre of land in rural England. We're working to make the site more wildlife-friendly and are hoping to document every species that lives in or visits the garden. Can we get to 1500?
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Saturday, 16 October 2021
Ivy bee
Monday, 27 September 2021
Leggy
Female Opilio canestrinii |
Thursday, 16 September 2021
Quicksilver
Silver-washed Fritillery (Argynnis paphia) with Peacock (Aglais io) in the background |
Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Ermine
White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) caterpillar |
Adult, in mid-June |
Sunday, 12 September 2021
Wasp mimic
Chrysotoxum bicinctum |
Monday, 6 September 2021
Wall
Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) |
Saturday, 4 September 2021
Redeye
Small Redeye (Erythromma viridulum) |
Monday, 30 August 2021
Bindweed
Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) |
Saturday, 28 August 2021
Swallows
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) |
Thursday, 26 August 2021
Slugger
Green Cellar Slug (Limacus maculatus) |
Monday, 23 August 2021
Red-tail
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) on Creeping Thistle |
Check out those packed pollen baskets (the yellow blobs)! And you can see her busy tongue here too. |
Saturday, 21 August 2021
Medic(k)
Black Medick (Medicago lupulina) |
Thursday, 19 August 2021
Two hundred
Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Investigator
Banded Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus investigator) |
Like other burying beetles, this one feeds on the rotting carcasses of small animals, which it can reportedly smell from up to two miles away. Pairs of the beetles work together to bury a carcass. First, they strip all the fur or feathers off the corpse, smearing it with a secretion that kills both bacteria and fungi. They then use their heads to push the soil out from under the carcass, while simultaneously fending off rival pairs, eventually burying it as much as 8 or 9 inches (20 to 22 cm) underground. The female lays her eggs in the corpse's rotting flesh, and the larvae, which hatch within days, feast on that banquet as they grow – but only after it's been "pre-processed" by their parents. Beetles in the genus Nicrophorus are among the very few insects with parental care. The pair hang around and feed on the carrion, regurgitating a digested liquid for their larvae, which use specific postures to beg for food. This diet apparently helps to speed up their development. Tha adults also protect their offspring from potential rivals and parasites, such as fly larvae. The offspring pupate in the soil near the carcass overwinter, emerging as adults in the spring. This is a common and widespread species across the UK, found in a wide variety of habitats. While adults can be found year-round, they are most common between May and September.
Friday, 13 August 2021
Faker
Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis) |
Like its larger cousin, the hoverfly mimics a wasp in an attempt to deter predators that might be put off by the possibility of getting stung. From its former stronghold in southern England (particularly around London), it has expanded its range across much of the country in the last 30 years, now reaching as far north as Yorkshire and beginning to edge into Wales. Despite the expansion, however, it's still listed as "infrequent and local" outside of the London area. Like all hoverflies, the adults are nectar feeders. The larvae, however, are predatory; the female lays her eggs in a wasp or hornet nest, and the hatched larvae feed on the wasp or hornet grubs. Adults fly from June to September, but are most common in early August. They're typically found in gardens and along roadside and hedgerows. Elsewhere, they're found across southern Europe and northern Africa.
Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Thunder thighs #2
Thick-legged Hoverfly (Syritta pipiens) |
Monday, 9 August 2021
Hummingbird
Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum) |
Saturday, 7 August 2021
Pimpernel
Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagalis arvensis) |
Thursday, 5 August 2021
Essex
Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) |
Tuesday, 3 August 2021
Aphid on the menu
Deraeocoris flavilinea |
Sunday, 1 August 2021
Darter
Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) |
Friday, 30 July 2021
Orange
Minettia inusta |
Wednesday, 28 July 2021
Horehound
Black Horehound (Ballota nigra) |
Monday, 26 July 2021
Twinspot
Timothy Grassbug (Stenotus binotatus): male upper left, female lower right |
Saturday, 24 July 2021
Grass veneer
Inlaid Grass Veneer (Crambus pascuella) |
Thursday, 22 July 2021
Spotty beetle
Spotted Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata) |
Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Mugwort suckers
Mugwort Aphid (Macrosiphoniella artemisiae) |
Sunday, 18 July 2021
I saw a 'fly'...
Turnip Sawfly (Athalia rosae) |
Friday, 16 July 2021
Chaser
Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) – immature male |
Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Semaphores
Semaphore Fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus) – male |
The female lacks colouration on her wings. |
Monday, 12 July 2021
Orchid
Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) |
Saturday, 10 July 2021
The eyes have it
Eristalinus sepulchralis |