With the wet and cooler conditions, most of the insects were resting up on or under leaves or in the grass during the last few days just coming out with the sun. Here a selection - most identified!
Showing posts with label Toft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toft. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Friday, April 12, 2024
Toft New Species
Good to get another new species for my Toft list, the Brown Lacewing Micromus angulatus, living alongside Rhopalus subrufus, a very colourful plant bug, Green Shieldbugs mating, Tortoise Shieldbug, several Hoverfly species, including Baccha elongata, and Hymenoptera.
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Toft Churchyard Insects
A few bees and friends from a very windy session at Toft Churchyard. There were mining bees everywhere - Andrena cineraria, the Ashy Mining Bee, males have emerged in very large numbers along with Andrena flavipes and Andrena scotica. I recorded two species of Nomad bees Nomada goodenia (male and female) and N. flava which parasitise the species of mining bees present at the moment so all fits. Bombus pascorum and Andrena fulva complete the sightings. Good to see two other insects that were here at this time last year - the Pied Shieldbug and Rhingia campestris hoverfly.
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Bee Flies, Bees and Birds in Toft
A miscellany from the last couple of days in Toft - bee flies taken at 1/800th and1/6400th second and still not quite stopping wing movement; three Andrena species of mining bees (A,nitida, A. heamorrhoa and A. cineraria); three migrant species (Chiffchaff, blackcap,Willow warbler) and a Dunnock.
Sunday, April 7, 2024
In the Eye of a Grass Snake
Came eye-to-eye with this grass snake while hunting for mining bee nests in the meadow. Knowing they are harmless other than excreting a foul odour, I enjoyed photographing the snake while it sampled the air with the tongue. I even had time to do a focus stack of it (last two images) before it disappeared into longer grass.
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