Nature at Your Fingertips

Yesterday was the September Wildlife Survey at Paxton Pits and was in a large meadow complex adjacent to the River Ouse with damp ditches so it was not surprising to find quite a few wet species such as this Pond Olive that I rescued from a spider's web (it has lost one tail streamer). Lots of Spiders around this time of year including Xysticus matching its surrounding as does the Pardosa species running across pond weed. Otherwise the species that I was very pleased to record two years ago, Ormyrus nitidulus, a metallic green wasp, were very abundant below the oak trees (they lay eggs in the gall-causing caterpillars!).

Summer Leys Walk

We took a very warm walk at Summer Leys Reserve today, visiting the various hides where a Kingfisher and friendly Chiffchaff partly made up for the lack of close waders and Egrets as on previous visit and the 'Toad Pond' where we were entertained by Grass Snake, Terrapin and various Dragonflies. The Willow Emerald has unexpanded hind wings but did manage to fly away.

Striped Insects on the Ivy

 The Hoverflies, Other flies, Wasps and even Moths were enjoying the nectar on the Ivy flowers today, and several spiders have already reduced the hundreds of Ivy bees that are out foraging in the garden amd village

Signs of Autumn

The appearance of the Ivy bees in the garden, timed to coincide with the Ivy flowering, is a sign that autumn is approaching. Lots of insects yesterday both on the ivy flowers and on the nettles below where the nectar has dropped, even a very tatty Speckled Wood. The Kite-tailed Robberfly was finding plenty of prey. The final two images are of an extraordinary looking very small plant bug - both its nymphal stage and adult that was hiding in the grass at my feet.