Macro Shots from Lackford

As well as enjoying the Egret and Hawkmoth action at Lackford, John and I enjoyed a macro session in our usual Wasp Spider corner and were lucky to find one with an egg cocoon along with other spiders and quite a few plant bugs!! (ID sheet at end)

Unexpected Find in the Garden

Photographed this ladybird during my morning patrol of the garden presuming it was a rather small 7-spot but when I downloaded the photo, it is clearly a different species, which I had no idea existed! - the Adonis' Ladybird, Hippodamia variegata - much smaller than the 7-spot and with different thorax markings.  Also surprised to find that two of the leaf bugs were new species for the garden - genus Nysius with species names using their host plants (see ID sheet at end).

Marbled Whites are Back in Toft Wood

  As I had seen one or two elsewhere, I thought perhaps the Marbled Whites had forsaken Toft Wood Meadow but today there were more than a dozen newly hatched males flying around and nectaring. First recorded in the wood as a newcomer to the area on July 11th 2012, they spread through England as the climate has gone warmer and appear earlier each year. Also lots of Skippers now and other moths and butterflies plus the usual quota of plant bugs and flies (ID sheet included).

30th August Toft Garden

Here are some of the species I was able to identify while starting to cut my  'meadow' area  - the root areas are particularly full of insects and spiders. There are many many more still to record  though not sure how many will be large enough to photograph and ID. some extras at the end from the Tansy etc