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Post by rowanberry on Jul 11, 2018 18:38:28 GMT
I like shield bugs... such interesting little creatures.
My insect of the day was this bee on hogweed flowers.
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Post by NellyDee on Jul 16, 2018 10:12:33 GMT
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Post by aeshna5 on Jul 16, 2018 16:55:34 GMT
I saw its close relative the Hornet Hoverfly, Volucella zonaria on a Buddleja- my first this year.
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Post by ianr on Jul 17, 2018 8:50:30 GMT
Noticed this slowly crossing the path in the woods wasn't sure what it was , then got to thinking stag beetle but I settled on lesser stag, it's about an inch long. I put it down off the path in the direction it was walking ian lesser stag beetle by ian robinson, on Flickr
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Post by aeshna5 on Jul 21, 2018 17:37:42 GMT
At our first pool on Chobham Common we saw a good variety of dragonflies. A majestic male Emperor cruising around, a male Keeled Skimmer + perched males of both Ruddy + Black Darters, several Emerald, Small Red + Azure Damselflies.
Elsewhere we added Brown Hawker, Common Dater + Common Blue Damselflies.
Other insects of note were Cream-streaked + 16-spot Ladybird, Mottled Grasshopper, Roesel's Bush-cricket, Hornet + the impressive fly, Tachina grossa.
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Post by aeshna5 on Jul 25, 2018 3:41:00 GMT
Monday evening sitting in the garden a smart Hornet Hoverfly landed in front of me + spent some time nectaring on a Buddleja. Yesterday at work a Rose Chafer flying around me + a female Speckled Bush-cricket.
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Post by aeshna5 on Aug 1, 2018 17:25:39 GMT
A Southern Hawker hawking around the back garden when I got home from work.
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Post by duncan74 on Aug 11, 2018 18:31:53 GMT
Hi Nige, For the last 3 photos of your thread, I think the Grasshopper is an instar of the Mottled Grasshopper Myrmeleotettix maculatus and the next in line, the beetle with the green head and brown back is possibly the Garden Chafer Phyllopertha horticola, check these out to confirm. the last one the all brown one I could not find. Duncan
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Post by duncan74 on Aug 11, 2018 18:40:25 GMT
for photo 1-1 your 3rd. I have had a look on line and you could try Click beetles Elaterdae species Duncan
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Post by aeshna5 on Aug 13, 2018 16:58:41 GMT
I was around Chelsea waterfront today + on one ornamental Aster there was an individual of both Volucella zonaria + its smaller cousin, V. inanis a few centimetres away. Also a couple of smaller Eristalis spp; I think E. nemorum + E. arbustorum, on the same plant.
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Post by aeshna5 on Aug 19, 2018 4:26:35 GMT
Despite the absence of any sunshine yesterday we managed a fair number of insects yesterday- many through sweeping, beating + turning over logs.
We had 3 ladybirds from one oak- a 10-spot, Cream-spotted + a Harlequin. Southern Oak Bush-crickets also came from an oak. Other bush-crickets found were Roesel's, Long-winged Conehead + I was pleased to get a single female Short-winged Conehead in the Juncus by the Pen Ponds.
With little sunshine not really a good day for dragonflies. We had a male Ruddy Darter basking on a log, a Migrant Hawker hunting in woodland edge, by the Pen Ponds several Common Blue + a single Blue-tailed Damselflies + the star, a single Willow Emerald sitting in some Molinia at a small pond.
We saw 3 or 4 Hornets- one despatching a Common Carder Bee!
Shieldbugs included many Parent Bugs, both adults + nymphs, on Alders, a Hawthorn Shieldbug nymph + a Bishop's Mitre.
Amongst the few hoverflies I was pleased to find the wetland species, Eristalinus sepulchralis which has spotty eyes.
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Post by NellyDee on Aug 20, 2018 14:58:40 GMT
It actually stopped raining,so took a wander and was amazed by the number of different insects, two I have put for for ID. As well as masses of black flies, there were four or five large Buff-tailed Bumblebee and 15 or more that looked like Buff- tails but were 1/2 the sized - no bigger that finger-nail sized, where as the larger ones were thumb nail sized. So question - are they both buff-tailed> Large Buff- tail Buff-tailed Bumblebee 3 by Helen Skelton, on Flickr Small one 1/2 size of above photo Bumblebee 1 by Helen Skelton, on Flickr
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Post by duncan74 on Aug 24, 2018 14:06:45 GMT
I had the moth trap out on 21st/22nd August and found 12 Setaceous Hebrew Character, 8 common Wainscot and a Restharrow moth, that was a surprise they are spreading inland more, as well as other moths , Duncan Setaceous Hebrew Character by Duncan Mclean, on Flickr
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Post by aeshna5 on Aug 27, 2018 14:23:11 GMT
After yesterday's wash-out + fairly overcast today not a lot of insects showing this morning. Examined the large numbers of Devil's-bit Scabious at Ruislip Woods but just a few Honey Bees + Common Carder Bees, a Marmalade Fly + a few Hornets on the prowl.
Elsewhere a male Common Blue Damselfly +a Migrant Hawker hawking in a glade.
IOD though was a distinctive hoverfly- Ferdinandea cuprea- on a Bristly Ox-tongue flower near the Lido.
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Post by rowanberry on Aug 30, 2018 19:21:47 GMT
This Red Admiral, seen and photographed today by Snowlynx in Trent Park, North London.
We've had so few butterflies this year- despite me doing the best I could to keep the buddleia going throughout the really dry weeks, (buckets of water!).
It's nice to see one in such lovely condition.
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