Recent Garden Records

Latest batch from the garden - still producing some new records like the first image which identifies as Haltichella rufipes which hasn't many observations in the UK though common in continental Europe, the furrow bee species Lasioglossum sexnotatum Ashy Furrow Bee. and Southern Hawker dragonfly.

Fun with Cyanotypes

Spent an enjoyable day running a Cyanotype Workshop. I printed quite a few images onto paper but also onto a cotton square and a T-shirt, which worked very well, giving a 3-D result 

Welney RPS Nature Group Visit

We were surprised at how few insects there were at Welney - hopefully it was the cool showery weather that had driven them deeper into the foliage. I did enjoy photographing this Speckled Bush Cricket (didn't notice the Spider!), two species of Leaf  Hopper, a Picture-Winged Fly, Hoverfly, Nettle Leaf Beetle and an Ichneumon spp. The Reed Warbler was probably a young one as very confiding and very pristine plumage.

Paxton Safari

A very pleasant morning spent at Paxton with Jo yesterday seeing what was lurking in the vegetation and, as usual, the number of insects was outstanding including this Musk Beetle, Banded Demoiselles, Migrant Hawkers, Common and Ruddy Darters, Brown Chinamark Moth (only moth where larvae are completely aquatic), numerous fly species and Wasps but also a Grass  Snake and White-lipped Snail. The images were taken with two extremes of focal length for 'macro' - 23mm with Supplementary lens (eg beetle) and 450mm telephoto (demoiselle etc!).

 

Sandy Bees, Wasps and Friends

On Monday afternoon, we transferred to the Beewolf Wasp colony nearby. Unfortunately, the rain came as we arrived but was not heavy enough to stop photographing and we spent an hour or so with the Sand Wasp (Ammophila sabulosa), Pantaloon bees (Dasypoda hirtipes), Common Blue Damselfly, Red-legged Bug and Field Grasshopper. The weather then brightened and activity started on the mound with Beewolf Wasps and Pantaloon Bees busy digging out their burrows. We saw one wasp carrying its honey bee prey but by then it was late in the afternoon