Buglife in Toft Garden

The warmish but very humid weather over the last few days has brought out a wonderful selection of weird bugs both in the scientific use of the word (the Red Bug first and later stages, Hairy Bug) and wider for all the rest of my tiny friends. Great to see two species of Weevils on the Hollyhocks, and plenty of interesting flies around the pond and on the daisies with bees and the Ornate-Tailed Digger Wasp. 

Trumpington Meadow Insects April 9th

A few insects from yesterday's visit to the meadow at Byron's Pool Car Park in Trumpington.; ID sheet is at the end. It is always a delight and challenge to photograph the ruby-tailed wasps (Chrysis ignata) a parasitoid of Red Mason Bees which are nesting in some rotten tree trunks. Two very small ladybirds were found, a very small weevil and four species of Shield Bug.

Toft's Bees and Other Wildlife Wake Up

 The warm conditions yesterday brought a lot of species out of their winter dormancy and onto the foliage. Favourites definitely the small Weevil, Box Bug, Bee Fly, and the unusual-looking parasitic fly, Gonia picea. I recently received the new Flies book by Stephen Falk and others so looked it up. The Dark broadface visits flowers including Daisy, is parasitic on moths including Square-spot Rustic which we definitely have in the garden and is one of the first Tachinid to appear in spring. Bees more difficult to ID!

Spring is Progressing with Damselfly Pairing and Painted Lady

The Jumping Spiders have really thrived in the hot dry weather and whenever I am weeding, whether at ground level or, as here, in the currant bushes, one of them is eyeing me up. Fortunately he caught a leaf hopper soon after this. First Painted Lady of the season and the Red Damselflies and Azure Damsels are paired up and laying in the pond. The Weevil is exquisite in the detail for a very very small beetle - I haven't yet found a suitable match.