Paul writes: This is an unusual-looking beetle, the antennae are particularly striking and the elytra are very pointed and leave the end of the wings exposed. When I saw this one it took me quite a while to realise what I was looking at. As its name suggests the Wasp Nest Beetle (Metoecus paradoxus) is…
Category: THE PHOTOGRAPHS: by Tim Melling, Oscar Dewhurst, Paul Leyland, Guy Shorrock, Brian Leecey
Tim Melling – Small Blue
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Tim writes: this is Britain’s smallest butterfly, the Small Blue, which is about the size of the nail on my little finger. In Britain their only larval foodplant is Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) but they only feed on the flowerheads. The female carefully selects a flower head of kidney vetch, tasting with her feet and…
Paul Leyland – Oil Beetle
Oil Beetles, also known as Blister Beetles, are named after their defence mechanism, which is a bright orange caustic substance that the creature secretes from its joints. This is highly irritable and can cause blisters on human skin. It is required to deter predators, as the beetle is flightless and slow moving. They are quite…
Tim Melling – Turtle Dove
Tim writes: the name has nothing to do with marine reptiles but is onomatopoeic, imitating the bird’s tuneful purring call. The call is the way most birds are located as they often remain hidden among foliage in the tall hedgerows in which they often nest. They are generally associated with arable farmland as they feed…
Paul Leyland – Four-spotted Chaser
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The Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) is very common and widespread in the UK. It is best seen between late May to August and occurs mainly around standing water. They average about 45mm long, with the hind wing length about the same. Chaser dragonflies are quite easy to observe. They fly around quite aggressively and will…
Tim Melling – Silver-studded Blue
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Tim writes: this is a male Silver-studded Blue butterfly showing its silver studs in the black pupils around the hindwing margin. The second photograph shows the upperwings. It occurs primarily on lowland heathlands but a few colonies also occur on limestone. Its caterpillars feed on a variety of plants including gorse, heather and rock-rose, but…
Paul Leyland – Chironomid midge
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Paul writes: I often photograph insects and have no idea what I’ve seen until I get home. This is one of those creatures. A fairly insignificant thing, less than 10mm long, basking on a leaf. However once I loaded up the image it was a matter of, ‘Wow, isn’t that fantastic’. Then comes the difficult…
Tim Melling – Northern Brown Argus
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Tim writes: The Northern Brown Argus occurs across northern Europe and the mountains further south but the form that occurs in Scotland occurs nowhere else. This beautiful (and little-photographed) form has a white spot on the forewing and the under side spots are white without black centres. These features are controlled by a single recessive…
Paul Leyland – Burnished Brass
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Paul writes: there are still plenty of moths around at night in September, especially when the weather is warm. This one turned up in my moth trap on Wednesday. It is a beautiful moth with shiny metallic yellow-green wings. The name, Burnished Brass, perfectly describes its appearance. It’s a common species throughout the UK. The…
Tim Melling – Dunlin
Tim writes: Dunlin do sing and I managed to catch one in the act on the high blanket bog of the Peak District. They sing with a rhythmic pulsating buzzing whistle, that sounds more like a child’s toy ray gun than a bird. Take a listen to the audio on this page if you don’t…