In the world of invertebrates, black and yellow signals danger. It says to predators: I am poisonous or I will bite you.
Read on to discover more:Black and yellow
A common field grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus) photographed by Ian Bushell in the park this week. This is a species that thrives among fined-leaved grasses, a sure sign that our policy of reducing the fertility and thus widening the biodiversity of our fields is working.
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More about oak galls
This strange object is a knopper gall on an oak tree, photographed in the reserve yesterday by Ian Bushell. At this time of year, our many oak trees are sporting a whole variety of galls.
Continue readingHoney bees
Unlike common wasps, honey bees (Apis mellifera) don’t die at the end of the summer. The hive stores enough food for the queen and the workers to survive through the winter.
Continue reading “Honey bees”Hornets
An astonishing video of European hornets in flight.
Video by nature photographer, Lothar Lenz, published by Caters Clips.
Devil’s coach horse
A Devil’s coach horse (Ocypus olens) was found and identified in Kestrel Field yesterday by Sarah Gould. Ocypus olens is a swiftly-moving ground beetle species and this one was moving so swiftly that Sarah was unable to get anything more than a blurred, but perfectly identifiable, picture which we sent to Ian for confirmation. This is a new species for the reserve’s comprehensive lists
Continue readingWasp time
There are six species of social wasp that are native to Britain and this is a good time of year to identify them.
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Deraeocoris ruber
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A purple hairstreak (Favonius quercus) seen on the edge of the reserve and photographed by Clive Knight.
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Five number facts about ants
There are 63 species of ant in Britain, 17 of which are introduced.
Continue readingBUZZ!
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.
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