Tag: paul leyland

Paul writes: I found this tiny fly on a Tansy flower growing along the field path next to my house in North Yorkshire. It is only about 4mm long, not including the ovipositor, so I really needed a photograph to fully appreciate it. This picture shows how colourful and beautifully marked even the smallest insect…

Paul writes: I am always fascinated by how damselflies effortlessly cantilever out from a piece of vegetation. This male has gone a stage further and is also carrying a female; they appear perfectly balanced. This is the start of the mating process, where the male grasps the female at the back of her neck. They…

Lots of insects love to imitate wasps, for the protection it gives them. This one is no exception, it wasn’t until I noticed the lack of a “wasp waist” that I could tell it was a sawfly. Sawflies belong to the same Order as wasps and bees, Hymenoptera, but one of the main differences, apart…

Paul writes: Demoiselles are large damselflies and are easily told from other species by their coloured wings. There are two species in Britain, the Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) and the Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens). The Beautiful Demoiselle, especially this male, is exactly what its name suggests. It is best seen on a sunny day; in…

I usually hear a grasshopper before I see it. Then it’s a matter of looking down on the ground hoping to see it flitting from one stem of grass to another. If I want a photograph, it’s down on my knees and hope the insect stays still or that it won’t be completely obscured by…

Paul writes: The Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) is a large striking-looking butterfly which used to occur in England but became extinct here around 1925. It was generally a fairly localised species mainly in southern England but occurred as far north as Yorkshire. It is still uncertain why it became extinct because its main foodplants, Hawthorn…

Paul writes: I gave this name to the hoverfly because it hasn’t got a common English name and it’s my favourite. The Latin name is Chrysotoxum bicinctum, which also has a nice ring to it. Why is it perfect? It’s a nice size, a wing length of up to 10mm and a chunky body so…

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…

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…

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…