Lackford Lakes looked at their best in the sunshine yesterday and the hundreds of Migrant Hawkers were certainly enjoying the warm conditions. A lot of the time, I was shooting into the light giving dark backgrounds and contrasty subjects but this first shot allows all the detail of the markings of this male. Other species were Willow Emerald, Ruddy Darter, Water Boatmen, Pond Skater, Sand Wasp, Small Copper, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Green-Veined White, Tachnid Fly and Ivy Bee.
The Sand Wasp, Ammophila sabulosa, preys on caterpillars (here Silver Y caterpillar) which it paralyses, takes to a pre-dug hole and places in the burrow laying an egg on it. The egg hatches and the larva feeds on the caterpillar. Carrying such a large prey is no mean feat especially over rough vegetation. When it reached the hole an amusing sequence occurred as it attempted to push the larva into the hole (like threading a needle with a floppy piece of cotton) but eventually worked out it is better to go down the hole and drag it in.
On Monday afternoon, we transferred to the Beewolf Wasp colony nearby. Unfortunately, the rain came as we arrived but was not heavy enough to stop photographing and we spent an hour or so with the Sand Wasp (Ammophila sabulosa), Pantaloon bees (Dasypoda hirtipes), Common Blue Damselfly, Red-legged Bug and Field Grasshopper. The weather then brightened and activity started on the mound with Beewolf Wasps and Pantaloon Bees busy digging out their burrows. We saw one wasp carrying its honey bee prey but by then it was late in the afternoon
