Toft Garden Early May

A catch up on the records for the last few days in my garden in Cambridgeshire. Lots of favourite species emerged over the last few days with the very warm weather, including the Speckled Bush Cricket  and also some species still around though past their zenith such as the Ashy Mining Bees. The bee hotels have been busy with the Red Mason Bees bringing in mud to seal their cells. They collect water at the edge of the pond but I am resisting photographing this as I have already got very wet once this year getting too engrossed in the task!! ID sheet at end

 

Garden Species 17th September

Raining for most of the day on and off but also a bright interval or two when I ventured out with my camera to see what insects were active. As usual, lots of plant bugs but also a Pine Ladybird and several other species (ID sheet at end)

An Umbel Life

For the last three days, a large Hogweed flower in the garden has been providing food for a very large population of hoverflies, wasps and beetles, some very small like this Eumerus hoverfly treading on an even smaller Carpet beetle. (IDs on final image).

Life on Comfrey and Alkanet

The Alkanet and White Comfrey are in full bloom in the garden and provide home and food to a very large variety of species. Here are a few. The Rhingia rostrata has very impressive mouthparts for slurping up nectar!