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.

18 spots

Eighteen-spot Ladybird (Myrrha octodecimguttata)

I treated myself to a new camera last week. It can take much closer macro shots than my previous camera could, so I've spent the last seven days prowling around the garden looking for subjects and loving the results. To be honest, it's been a revelation; we've added more than a dozen new insects to our list this week! This Eighteen-spot Ladybird (Myrrha octodecimguttata) was one of them. Its presence on a Common Nettle plant was a bit of surprise. Normally, they're associated with trees – particularly the topmost branches of Scots Pines. That said, we do have a sizable Scots Pine in one corner of the property, so perhaps that's where it started. This is one of the smaller ladybirds, measuring only 4-5 mm (less than 1/4-inch) and its rich brown colour is distinctive. The pronotum (the section just behind the insect's head, unfortunately not very visible in this photograph) has a rounded brown "M" mark, which is diagnostic. The similarly marked Cream-coloured Ladybird is larger and darker, and it lacks the curved white marks at the leading edge of the elytra (the hard shell covering the wings). Despite its name, the Eighteen-spot Ladybird can show fewer than 18 spots, as neighbouring spots merge together in some individuals. Like many ladybirds, this one is a predator, hunting aphids that feed on conifers. Apparently, it breeds in the treetops, laying its eggs in areas near prey. It overwinters as an adult, gathering in groups in crevices and under peeling bark on pine trees, and also on the cones and among the needles on branch tips. Though widespread across Britain, it appears to be quite local and only occasionally seen – presumably because you'd normally need to climb to the top of a tree to find one!

Leaf beetle

Cow Parsley Leaf Beetle (Chrysolina oricalcia)

Earlier this week, a metallic bluish-black beetle clinging to the stem of one of the Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) plants in the garden caught my eye. Some research online and in our various insect books showed it to be a Cow Parsley Leaf Beetle (Chrysolina oricalcia). Though shaped a bit like a flea beetle (without that group's bulging "femurs"), it's far too big, measuring nearly a centimeter in length (about a half-inch). Its rounded elytra – the hard shells that cover and protect its wings – are sprinkled with rows of tiny pits. Though fairly widespread across south-eastern England, it's listed as "Nationally Scarce" and may be declining in some areas. Their scarcity certainly isn't due to a restricted food source; the insects feed on Cow Parsley and related plants, which are common and widespread across the whole of the British Isles. Adults feed on leaves and possibly pollen, while larvae munch leaves, generally feeding at dusk and dawn or during the night. The species overwinters as adults, though no-one yet knows where. Since finding the first beetle, we've discovered a number of larvae on various plants around the garden, so it looks like we'll be hosting this scarce species for a while to come!

Larva

Waspish

Wasp Beetle (Clytus arietis)

While wandering out to the pond the other afternoon, I spotted this waspy looking insect on one of the old clothesline poles. That yellow and black pattern is certainly eye-catching! Once I'd snapped its picture, a check of the books quickly led to an ID. It's a Wasp Beetle (Clytus arietis), a common and widespread species in gardens and hedgerows across England and Wales (but rarer in Scotland) and a new one for the list. It's not just its striking pattern that makes this trickster look like a wasp; it also moves like one, waggling its long antennae and scuttling around on twitchy legs in the same jerky fashion that wasps do. That's enough to convince most potential predators to avoid it. In reality, however, this 1.6 cm-long beetle (just over a half inch) is totally harmless. It's one of the so-called "longhorn beetles". Like most other longhorns, its larvae develop in dead wood, including such things as fence posts and old gates. Adults feed on pollen, so this one was presumably finding plenty to eat at the flowers in our garden. They fly from May through July, so perhaps we'll see another one or two before they disappear for the season.

Shiny invaders

Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana)

Whilst checking the herb garden during a coffee break this week, Mike chanced upon our first Rosemary Beetles (Chrysolina americana), a handful of which were trundling across sage leaves or huddled on rosemary stems. We've been expecting them, to be honest. Though they weren't recorded in Britain until the late 1990's (when they were found breeding in central London), they have now spread right across the British Isles and are common and widespread in England and Wales. Their iridescent purple and green stripes make them easy to identify despite their small size; they measure only 6–8 mm (about a third of an inch). Though they nibble on the flowers and leaves of rosemary, sages, thymes and other aromatic plants, they don't typically cause too much damage, and even the Royal Horticultural Society suggests they be considered as "part of the life a healthy garden supports". Apparently, the larvae, which generally occur in late summer, are rather more voracious than their parents (which may feed little until they're ready to mate). Adults can be reasonably long-lived for a beetle, regularly surviving more than a year. Despite their scientific name, the beetles didn't originate in the Americas. Rather, they're from southern Europe – presumably yet another indication of a changing climate.

Fruity weevil

Apple Fruit Weevil (Neocoenorrhinus aequatus)

While mooching around on this week's Bank Holiday Monday, I found this little insect resting on the tip of a Common Nettle leaf in a back corner of the garden. It's an Apple Fruit Weevil (Neocoenorrhinus aequatus), also widely known as Apple Fruit Rynchites. Despite its name, the weevil's usual host is Hawthorn, a scrubby tree that's common in hedgerows across Norfolk and much of the rest of the UK. That tree will reach its blooming peak within the next few weeks, and the weevil is ready! Its numbers peak in May and June, though it can also be found earlier in the spring. In addition to Hawthorn, it will also feast on Blackthorn (which blooms in April), apple, cherry, plum and pear trees, and sometimes proves to be a locally significant pest of organic orchards. It's quite small, measuring only 2.5 to 4.5 mm (about 1/5 of an inch), with a blackish-brown head and thorax and reddish-brown elytra (the hard cases covering the wings). The dark line marking the join between the elytra is distinctive, as are the many tiny pits and pale hairs covering them. The weevil is common throughout much of England (to about mid-Yorkshire and Durham), but rare in Wales, Scotland and the north of England. The female will lay up to 20 eggs in the blossoms and developing fruits of the Hawthorn (or other tree), and may chew through the fruitlet's stem to slow its development. The larvae develop in the fruits, emerging in the fall when the fruits fall to the ground. The larvae burrow into the ground to pupate, quickly (i.e. in a week or two) becoming adults, but remaining snug in their pupa case until the following spring. Hopefully, they'll leave at least a few of our apple blossoms unscathed, so that the Blackbirds will have something to eat come autumn.

Investigator

Banded Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus investigator)

When we run our moth trap (which we've hardly done at all this year), we regularly catch a few of these big, brightly-coloured beetles over the course of the season. But this is the first time I've ever found one out "in the wild" rather than caught in the trap. It's a Banded Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus investigator), one of Europe's so-called "burying beetles", and it was clambering around on a Common Ragwort plant in broad daylight. That's pretty unusual for this typically nocturnal insect. It looks very similar to several other species found in the UK. The small break in the red band closer to its back end is an important ID feature, as are the dark red-orange tips to its antennae. It lacks hairs on its thorax (the part of the insect right behind its head), and the tibia of its back legs are straight rather than curved – two additional features that help to distinguish it from other burying beetles. And they're amazingly stinky; we can always tell as soon as we've opened the moth trap whether we're going to find one of these beetles roaming among the egg boxes.

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.

Spotty beetle

Spotted Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata)

The Creeping Thistle patch is in full bloom these days, drawing hordes of insects to its bounty. This handsome Spotted Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata) was among the visitors on Saturday afternoon, clambering over the flowerheads in search of pollen and nectar. We first recorded this species a few years ago, when we found one checking out a rotting plank on an old bench in the garden. Unfortunately, the weather was dull enough that I didn't get good pictures that day, so I'm delighted that this individual was out in bright sunshine. It's a distinctive insect, easy to identify thanks to those flashy black and yellow elytra (the hard cases that cover beetle wings). Its bicoloured legs and banded antennae help to distinguish it from a couple of less-common lookalikes. This widespread European species is common across England and Wales, and up into southwestern Scotland, found in parkland, hedgerows, gardens, and the borders of woodland. Eggs are laid in undisturbed decaying wood. Larvae take two to three years to develop before pupating for a month. Adults emerge from April through August, but only live two to four weeks. We're right in the middle of their peak emergence now. Maybe they'll lay the next batch of eggs in a few of the slowly decaying tree stumps we have in various corners of the garden, victims of several past windstorms.

Thistle weevil

Thistle-head Weevil (Rhinocyllus conicus)

While poking around in the garden recently, I came across a speckled beetle I didn't recognise – actually two beetles, busily making little beetles. I took pictures from every possible angle and retired to our in-home library to try to figure out what they were. A bit of research showed them to be Thistle-head Weevils (Rhinocyllus conicus), a distinctive short "nosed" species that specialises on various species of thistle. Their overall colour is brownish-black, with a regular pattern of pale speckles across their elytra (the hard cases that cover their wings). As you can tell from the ant in the background, they're pretty small, measuring at most 7mm (about 1/4 of an inch). Native to southern and central Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, they've spread significantly northwards in recent decades, including into the UK. Initially found only in southern coastal areas, they've further expanded their range, and are now locally common throughout much of England and Wales. They were introduced into North America, in a misguided attempt to control introduced thistles; while they did indeed feed on those introductions, they also attacked native thistle species and have become a serious invasive pest. They feed on leaves, primarily those near the flower heads, chewing a series of round holes. After mating, the female lays up to 200 eggs onto the bracts of flower buds. These hatch about 10 days later, with the emerging larvae developing for some six weeks before pupating. After a further week, the new adults emerge; most of these will overwinter. Given the number of thistles we have in the garden, I expect we'll be seeing a fair few of these weevils in the coming years.

14 spots

Fourteen-spot Ladybird (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata)

Right now, our garden is crawling with ladybirds. Most are the ubiquitous Seven-spot Ladybirds, but every now and then we find something different – like this one. This small beetle is a Fourteen-spot Ladybird (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata). Though it's black and yellow like the Twentytwo-spot Ladybird, it has distinctively square spots, which sometimes merge to form a checked pattern. The bold colours warn potential predators that they'll get a nasty-tasting, bitter mouthful. It's a small insect, measuring only 4-5 mm (less than 1/4-inch) in length. Despite that, it's a fierce predator, both as a larva and as an adult, gobbling up aphids as fast as it can find them. It also eats other small insects, as well as the eggs of various beetles, moths and butterflies. It's the most common black and yellow ladybird in the UK, and is widespread in England and Wales (less so in Scotland and Northern Ireland) in grassland, woodland and gardens. Elsewhere, it's found across Europe, North Africa and most of Asia, as far north as the Arctic Circle. We're just starting to see them now, months after we spotted our first Seven-spots. That's because this species has a much longer hibernation period (smart cookies!), only emerging in May to breed. Females lay some 400 eggs in batches of up to 15. These hatch within 12 days, and the larvae quickly develop after that. Adults are typically seen from May to August – a much shorter time than Seven-spots. By September, they're into hibernation, ready to snooze away the winter.

Fear no weevil

Liophloeus tessulatus

While rummaging in a flowerbed this afternoon, trying to remove some of the innumerable Ground Elder plants that are running amok, I pulled my hand out and found this little creature sitting on my thumb. It's a weevil – a surprisingly big weevil known as Liophloeus tessulatus. They're typically buff or pale brown, and often speckled, like this one is, and can be as long as 10 cm (about half an inch), which is sizeable for a weevil. When I put it back on the ground, it ambled off slowly and deliberately. Since then, I've learned that they're flightless; their tiny wings are only rudimentary. Despite this, they've managed to spread across much of the UK (though they're scarcer in Scotland), and are found from lowland meadows to mountaintops. They're likewise common across much of Europe, right up to southern Scandinavia. Like all weevils, Liophloeus tessulatus is a plant-eater. Favourite foods include Creeping Thistle, Common Nettle, Cow Parsley, Hogweed, Ivy, and Colt's-foot, all of which we have in abundance in the garden. Adults are found from spring through autumn. Females will be laying their eggs on the underside of leaves from for the next month or so. The larvae will hatch a couple of weeks later and drop to the ground, burrowing into the soil to munch on roots and rhizomes until next spring. Given that they're nocturnal, I guess I was lucky to have disturbed it. Though they're undoubtedly common here (given the perfect buffet we're providing) this is the first time we've seen one; it's a new addition to the list!

Carrion beetle

Shore Sexton Beetle (Necrodes littoralis)

Our moth trap turns up quite a few non-moth species on most nights. While most are various species of flies, occasionally we get something larger, like this Shore Sexton Beetle (Necrodes littoralis). It was lurking underneath one of the egg boxes when we emptied the trap in the morning. The long ridges on the elytra (the hard cases that cover the wings) and the distinctive bumps towards the posterior end of those elytra help to identify it. So do the orange tips to its antennae — tips that are the more or less the same width as the rest of the antennae stalks (as opposed to being larger, rounded clubs). These big beetles are carrion specialists. They travel for distances up to a mile, following the smell of dead animals. Unlike some species of sexton beetles, they do not bury their finds. Instead, the female lays her eggs in the soil near the body; within a few days, the larvae hatch and move to the body. She stays with her brood, feeding on the carrion, and on the eggs and larvae of other insects attracted to the carcass. Shore Sexton Beetles are fairly local in England. Though they're most common along the coasts, they're also being increasingly reported inland. They're particularly attracted to lights, and regularly turn up in moth traps, like ours did. And, for a bit of grossness that you can share at your next dinner party, forensic pathologists can determine the age of a cadaver using the presence and size of the larvae and adults of this species found in the body.

Soldiers

Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) on Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense)

For the last few weeks, it's seemed like most of the flowers in our garden have been covered with mating pairs of Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva). From June to August, these slim, bright beetles roam over the flat tops of open flowers, searching for food and potential mates. Umbellifers like Common Hogweed and Cow Parsley, and composites like Common Daisy and Common Ragwort are among their favoured hunting grounds. This distinctive species is common and widespread in fields, meadows and hedgerows across the British Isles. It's easy to identify, thanks to its overall reddish colour and the dark tips to its elytra (the hard wing covers that all beetles have). That bold colour — supposedly reminiscent of military uniforms — is what gives "soldier beetles" their name. It's also the basis for the alternative name "bloodsucker", despite the fact that the beetle is not a bloodsucker, and presents no threat to humans. Outside the UK, Common Red Soldier Beetles are native and widespread across Eurasia, and have been introduced to North America. They're a useful visitor to the garden; adults feed on small insects, such as aphids (as well as nectar and pollen), while the ground-dwelling larvae hunt snails, slugs and other insects.

Spotty one

Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata)

This year has seen an absolute explosion of ladybirds in the garden. The vast majority have been the near-ubiquitous Seven-spot Ladybirds, but a few other species have made an appearance. Last Friday, we added a new one to the list. This eye-catching little beastie is an Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata). Its pale orangey-brown elytra (the hard cases that protect the membraneous wings) are covered with 14–16 creamy-white spots. Like the 22-spot Ladybird I profiled few weeks ago, this one is a mildew specialist. However, unlike that smaller ladybird, which feeds on umbellifer mildews, the Orange Ladybird feeds primarily on mildews that attack trees — especially those that attack sycamores and ash. From April to October, it's widespread in woodland, towns and gardens across England and Wales, but uncommon in Scotland. Beyond the UK, it's found from Europe right across northern Asia to Siberia, northern China and Japan. Apparently, it's attracted to bright lights at night, and is regularly found in moth traps. That's where we found this one, trundling around among the moths. Interestingly, this species used to be associated only with ancient woodland, and was quite rare in Britain. Within the past few decades, however, it made the jump to the mildews of sycamores and ash, and its numbers have increased dramatically. It's nice to learn of a success story, for a change!

Herbie

22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora 22-punctata)

While out exploring the garden during my lunch break the other day, I came across a few of these little beetles scurrying up and down grass stems near our raptor viewpoint. It's a 22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora 22-punctata), one of Britain's more common ladybird species. The bright yellow colour is a warning to potential predators that this ladybird tastes nastily bitter, so had best be avoided. Its discrete spots, which never merge into each other, help to distinguish it from the larger 14-spot Ladybird (Propylea 14-punctata). Widespread across much of the British Isles (though scarce in the north), it's common in grassy places, including hedgerows, wood edges and roadsides — and pocket meadows. Like other ladybirds, it overwinters as a dormant adult, with eggs laid in early spring and new adults appearing in early summer. However, unlike most of its cousins, this one feeds on mildews rather than aphids, and is particularly fond of mildew on umbellifers. Given the amount of mildew growing on Common Hogweed plants scattered around the property, our little visitors should have plenty to nibble on for the remainder of the season.

Cockchafer

Male Common Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha)

When we run the moth trap these days, we're catching a fair few Common Cockchafers (Melolontha melolontha), also known as May Bugs. They're a bit of a pain, really; they bumble around in the trap, crashing into the moths and generally stirring things up. For those who don't run moth traps, these are the large insects that buzz loudly around the garden at dusk and crash into lighted windows on late spring and early summer evenings. Despite their large size (males can measure nearly 1.5 inches long, females slightly smaller), they're harmless to humans. Plants, though, are another story. The beetles actually spend most of their life underground. For three years, they live as fat, brown-headed, white grubs, munching on plant roots. They're particularly fond of grasses, including cereal crops. Considering that we're trying to get rid of much of the rank grass in our garden (slowly, of course), we're not too worried about their presence. And the neighbouring carrot and sugar beet fields shouldn't be much affected either — which is good, because the beetles are capable of pretty significant crop damage. They used to cause tremendous damage to forests and agriculture in Europe. Heavy pesticide use led to them being nearly exterminated by the mid-1900s, though their numbers have been slowly increasing again.

Adults emerge between May and July, feeding on flowers and leaves. The strange name has nothing to do with chickens or body parts. It dates to the 1600s, and means "large, vigorous chafer", a chafer being this sort of large beetle. The combination of black pronotum (the section just behind its head), brown legs, brown elytra (the hard cases that cover its wings) and long, pointed "tail" (not visible in the picture above) help to identify it. The number of fronds on its feathery antenna indicate whether it's a male or female; males have seven fronds, females only six. Common Cockchafers are widespread across much of the British Isles, though less so in northern England and Scotland. They're found in a wide range of habitats, from grassland, heathland and coastal dunes to woodlands, farmlands, gardens and wetlands. We'll be catching them in the trap for a few more months!

Thunder thighs

Male

Here's another insect that has been everywhere so far this summer, though somehow, I'd never seen one before this year. It's a Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) — identified as a male by those distinctively swollen back legs. The female is thinner and lacks those big "thighs" (known as "femora" in insects), though she shares the pointed elytra (a fancy word for the hard coverings that protect the wings) with the noticable gap in the middle. They're found in a variety of open habitats and feed on pollen, so we're seeing plenty in the flower borders at the moment, crawling over anything that's blooming. The larvae live in herb stems. Widespread in southern and western Europe, this species has been rapidly expanding its range in England since 1995. It flies from April through August, so we'll be seeing a lot of them for a while, I think.

Female

Longhorn

Say "longhorn" to a Texan, and they're likely to picture a cow with some really long, pointy horns — the kind that could do some serious damage if they decided to stick you with one. Say "longhorn" to a naturalist, however, and they're liable to picture something else entirely — namely a group of insects with very long antennae. We had our first longhorn show up in the garden earlier this week. Agapanthia villosoviridescens, also known as the Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle, is a bit of an eyeful, with a bright yellow thoracic stripe and short yellow hairs all over its wing coverings. And how about those stripey antennae?! The whole insect measures 10-25 mm (i.e. the biggest is just under an inch long), not counting those extraordinary antennae. This species is pretty restricted in Britain, occuring regularly only in East Anglia and a few adjacent counties. Its larvae develop in the stems of various herbaceous plants (particularly thistles, and we have a boatload of those at the far end of the garden) and the adults feed on flowers, generally in damp places. According to Collins Complete British Insects, we can expect to see them from May through July.

Hunter and hunted

It's a jungle out there. The drama of life and death is happening in our garden every day, with some of its residents hunting down and eating others. This particular drama was taking place on one of the gnarled old branches of an apple tree. The white "fuzzy stuff" is a pile of Wooly Apple Aphids (Eriosoma lanigerum), a bothersome little pest that sucks the juice (and the life) out of apple trees across the world. It's actually native to North America, but was accidentally introduced to Great Britain back in the late 1700s. Equally unfortuitous introductions have been made to virtually every other apple-producing region of the world, and this little insect is proving to be a serious problem for apple growers. Fortunately for us, help is at hand. Ladybirds, including the Pine Ladybird (Exochomus quadripustulatus) lurking in their vicinity in the photo above, are aphid specialists. Many ladybird species eat literally thousands of adult aphids during their relatively short lives — and that's after they've eaten hundreds more as larvae.

Pine Ladybirds are widespread in southern and central England, and more local north and west. We've seen a lot of them around lately, particularly on the apple tree, where they appear to have found the buffet table. Generally, adults overwinter in the foliage of evergreen trees and shrubs (hence their common name), but during the rest of the year, they're found on a variety of trees. Here's hoping they like what's on the menu and stay awhile!

Invader

Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

It was there, lurking under the shoe rack, when I went out to the porch to put my trainers on. An invader. A wolf in sheep's clothing. Yet another example of humans just not leaving well enough alone. This is a Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) and it's one species I wish we didn't have in our garden. It's an Asian species that was brought to Europe (and the United States) as a biological agent: a supposedly "biologically friendly" way to control unwanted insect species. Except that it turns out to be very biologically UNfriendly. This large and voracious species has been munching its way across Europe and North America for decades now, outcompeting local ladybird species (and other insects as well) for food. And unlike our native ladybirds, it will happily switch to the eggs and larvae of butterflies, moths, and local ladybirds if aphid prey is scarce. It's a reproduction machine, churning out young from spring right through autumn, which allows it to expand its populations very quickly. Since arriving on the islands in 2004 (when it made its own way across the English Channel), the Harlequin Ladybird has spread across much of the country and is now considered a serious threat to some UK insect populations. Did we squash it after taking its picture? No we didn't. But we probably should have.