More Garden Minibeasts

Quite a few more sessions clearing the paths in the garden and recording any minibeasts taking shelter there. Not sure how many are new species for the list (IDs at end) but I haven't recorded the striking striped Hemipteran nymph (Nysius spp) before. Mainly small spiders but also one large beautifully marked snail.

 

Garden Species List Continues

Some species from yesterday's garden session - never seen a colour morph of the Hairy Shieldbug before but pretty sure this is what it is. Still lots of species and fair numbers of many plant bugs and also Spiders. The caterpillar seems to be the Garden Tiger rather than Jersey T and the other hoary creature is a Larder Beetle larva. ID sheet at end.

The Next Generation in the Garden

The garden has lots of caterpillars and nymphal plant bugs and minute spiders as the next generations begin. Calophasia lunula, the Toadflax Brocade moth, is a recent immigrant to the UK but is now very widely spread - we have a good population every year, a very attractively patterned caterpillar. Plant bug nymphal stages are difficult to tell apart but generally they are found on the same plants as the adults which helps!! The garden has dozens of small flower spiders with different colours and pattern.

Toft Garden Bugs

 When the sun finally broke through this afternoon, the garden became alive with Hemiptera (Bugs),many of them paired up.

Lots of Insects in Ivy plants

Lots of different Fly species, Box Bugs,and other Hemiptera, Spiders and Ivy Bees feasting on the late nectar in the Ivy Flowers