Close Encounters at Paxton Pits

Another 30 degree-plus day yesterday so an earlyish walk at Paxton. Common Darters certainly dominated the insect life and were very confiding allowing  close approach. Pleased to see a female Beewolf wasp in the area where they bred last year - probably too early in the day for them to have captured bees. Other models included a Bee-grabber Fly (Sicus ferruginous), Nettle Bug( Liocoris tripustulatus) and Kite-tailed Robberfly (Tolmerus atricapilus)

Sandy Heathland Insects

Each year I look forward visiting a site near Sandy and spending several hours recording the various insects that make their home in the sandy soils. Unfortunately (not the right word!!) this year the site has been more or less trashed with cans, litter, broken glass and the remains of BBQs everywhere over the area. So I visited RSPB Sandy heathland instead and relaxed for a couple of hours among the various insects that make their home there. There were limited numbers but a very good range as the following photos show from Beewolf wasps, Ornate-tailed digger Wasps and Epeolus cruciger Red-thighed Cellophane Cuckoo bee. There were also plenty of the Red-banded Sand wasps - this one relentlessly dragging a large caterpillar over long distances and large numbers of what I think is Hedychrum niemelai a cuckoo wasp that is relatively new to our shores.

 

Curioser and Curioser

Our monthly guided nature walk at Paxton Pits produced some very curious sightings, none more so than this Thistle Tortoise Beetle larva which is very spiny like its host plant. It carries around a pile of droppings and debris that it uses to disguise itself -  very small so difficult to get a better shot. First time I have recorded Beewolf Wasps at Paxton - they are nesting where the Early Colletes bees were active earlier in the year. We think it was a young Garden Warbler and certainly there were a couple of pairs of Crows with young in the newly mown hay fields