Soldier

Cantharis rustica

For weeks now, the garden has been awash with Common Red Soldier Beetles. But last month, we found one of their less common relatives patrolling the pocket meadow – a Rustic Soldier Beetle (Cantharis rustica), also sometimes known as the Rustic Sailor Beetle. It's a predator, hunting for smaller invertebrates on flowers in open woodland, arable fields, parks, gardens and grasslands. This is one of the larger soldier beetles, measuring in at 9-12.5 mm (just under half an inch). The black heart-shaped spot on its red pronotum (the part of the beetle just behind its head) is distinctive. Fine, dense hairs coat its black elytra (the hard cases that cover its wings) and its legs are blackish with red femoras (the part of the legs closest to the body). Despite the fact that we seldom see it here, it's widespread across south-eastern England, becoming less so the further north you go; it's uncommon in Scotland. Elsewhere in the world, it occurs across Europe to central Russia. Its larvae develop in leaf litter, munching small invertebrates, from late summer through to spring. They pupate in March and April, emerging as adults from mid-May through early July.

Ghost

Ant Woodlouse (Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii)

We have a few cut log pieces dotted along the edges of our drive to keep the AirB&B folks next door from driving over and parking in our garden, which they were doing before. We've found that turning those logs over occasionally reveals all sorts of creatures. The last time I looked, I found these tiny white woodlice amongst an (unfortunately disturbed) ant colony. They're Ant Woodlice (Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii) and, as their name suggests, they're well-known for associating with various species of ants. Small (5mm or just over 3/16 of an inch) and blind, they live within the colony, eating droppings and mildew. Their short antennae and oval shape help to distinguish them from other small, pale woodlice. In the British Isles, they're widespread in semi-natural grasslands, churchyards, gardens and roadside verges across southern England, Wales and south-eastern Ireland but are rare further north and west. Elsewhere in the world, they're found across much of Europe and have been introduced to North America and Australia.