Standing up for Nature
Paul writes: there is a recent practice for giving previously obscure hoverflies English names, in addition to their Latin ones. Often the names are fairly mundane and don’t really add to the insect’s appeal, however I think this one is great and is likely to make you more interested to look out for one. Anasimyia transfuga is…
Paul writes: this beautiful pinkish brown beetle, the Common Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha), is a regular night time visitor to many gardens. I usually see them from the beginning of May to the middle of June, this one appeared on 14 May. They fly at night and are attracted to lights, so are often brought to…
The Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) is a large and distinctive bug, 10-12mm overall. It can be seen as a adult in any month but in winter is a dull brown. This is a bright summer specimen which I found in my wildlife patch a couple of days ago [Mark writes; plus a delay of a…
Paul writes: I can’t resist watching insects feeding on dandelions, so when I saw this Green-veined White last weekend I stopped to have a closer look. This butterfly probably suffers from being so widespread and common that it is dismissed as “just another white”. However, once seen close up they are subtly attractive with their…
Paul writes: I found this bee on 18 April among the gravestones at my local church in Hunmanby, which seemed quite appropriate. The Mourning Bee (Melecta albifrons) is a solitary bee and a cleptoparasite of one of our most popular bees, the Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes). The female makes a hole in the sealed…
Paul writes: I found this beetle a few days ago along the River Derwent at Weldrake Ings in Yorkshire. It was sitting on an old log, possibly looking for a mate. It’s a Red-breasted Carrion Beetle (Oiceoptoma thoracicum), which is fairly easy to identify once you get close to it. A very distinctive beetle, with…
Paul writes: the Early Thorn (Selania dentaria) is one of the commonest moths flying at the moment. I usually see them from mid March to the end of April, they have two broods so will appear again in the middle of July. I found this one a couple of weeks ago in my North Yorkshire…
Paul writes: This is one for my “Insects seen while Birdwatching” list. It was at Titchwell at the weekend. After spending time in the first hide watching Avocets I had a quick check on a patch of flowering Alexanders in a sunny spot outside and this is what I found. It’s the first time I’ve…
Paul writes: There is a patch of Green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) that grows on the roadside verge outside my house. It came into flower last week, just at the right time to attract this, recently emerged, male solitary bee. The Buffish Mining Bee (Andrena nigroaenea) is one of the first mining bees to appear in…
Beauty and the Beast If you read Erica McAlister’s recent blog here, about her love of flies, you will know now, if you didn’t before, their diversity and their importance in our ecosystems. I am a fairly recent convert to the love of flies and if there is a fly equivalent of a birder then…