Five number facts about ants
There are 63 species of ant in Britain, 17 of which are introduced.
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BUZZ!
Bees buzz in two different ways.
Continue reading “BUZZ!”Great Pied Hoverfly
By Ian Bushell
This is a Great Pied Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) so named for its black and white colouring. It is a new species for our lists, seen and photographed in the reserve on Tuesday, July 13th.
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Picture of the Week
An azure damselfly (Coenagrion puella) on greater bindweed, photographed in the reserve by Ian Bushell, who has a new camera.
Fruit fly
by Ian Bushell
This is Xyphosia miliaria, a species of Tephritidae or fruit fly. It is so small and so rarely noticed that it appears to have no common name.
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A harlequin ladybird nymph photographed yesterday in the reserve by Ian Bushell.
Continue readingDrinker moth caterpillar
This is the caterpillar of the drinker moth (Euthrix potatoria), photographed in the reserve on Sunday. It is so named because the caterpillar is believed to drink drops of dew on grass stems.
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Small tortoiseshell
There are small tortoiseshell caterpillars (Aglais urticae) among the nettles by the path in Simpson’s Field. Take a careful look as you walk past.
Queen wasp
A queen wasp (Vespula vulgaris) in the hedge in Sleepers Field.
Continue reading “Queen wasp”Large Wasp Hoverfly
Message and a photograph from Ian Bushell
In the picture above is a hoverfly I photographed at the top of Sheep Field in a sunny spot on the edge of the copse.
Continue reading “Large Wasp Hoverfly”Cinnabar moth
Cinnabar moths (Tyria jacobaeae) have been reported from the reserve in the past week.
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Thick legged flower beetle
An irridescent green, female Oedemera nobilis, known as the thick legged flower beetle or swollen thighed beetle, photographed in the park this week. It is the male (see below) that has the strangely shaped legs for which the species is named
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[1] by Gail Hampshire (CC BY 2.0) flickr.com; [2] © Hans Hillewaert (CC BY-SA 4.0) wikimedia.org
The Insects are Here!
by Simon Knight
In my last post I said I was going after young grasshoppers and crickets.
Continue readingBloody nosed beetle
A bloody nosed beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) found in the short grass where the rabbits graze at the end of Sleepers Field.
Continue reading “Bloody nosed beetle”Scorpion fly
A male scorpion fly photographed by Ian Bushell yesterday, in the reserve’s main car park.
Continue reading “Scorpion fly”Beautiful demoiselle
This is a damsel fly: a beautiful demoiselle, Calopteryx virgo.
Read on…Cockchafer
Cockchafers, more familiarly known as May bugs, are one of those things that go bang in the night.
Continue reading “Cockchafer”Swarm
There is a honey bee colony high in the old ash tree at Fiveways. Last week the colony swarmed and Julie Newblé, a regular contributor, was lucky enough to be there with her camera.
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Buff tailed bumblebees
The aerodynamically unlikely buff tailed bumble bee queens are out of hibernation and, buzzing around between the park’s spring flowers. Here is a video about their surprising flying skills:
Neonicotinoids
The Government has decided to allow the emergency use of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on sugar beet in England in 2021, despite objections from conservationists. The decision, in response to pressure from England’s farmers, will permit the treatment of sugar beet seed to combat beet yellows virus, which is spread by multiple species of aphids.
Continue reading “Neonicotinoids”On the eleventh day…
…eleven pipers piping
Honey bees make a sound that apiarists call piping.
Continue reading “On the eleventh day…”Flea circus
Part One
Research has recently found that the highly toxic insecticides used on cats and dogs to kill fleas are poisoning England’s rivers. Scientists believe that significant environmental damage is being done to important water insect populations, down at the bottom of the freshwater food chain.
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Insect life
by Simon Knight
I was surprised to see these two critters, given that insect life in the park has gone quiet now compared to the summer.
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