by Ian Bushell
I photographed this fly by the pond on Saturday. It’s Empis tessellata, one of the larger species of Dance or Dagger Flies. It can be seen from April to August.
Continue reading “Dagger Fly”Dagger Fly
Drinker moth caterpillar
While they were tidying up the edge of the big pond last week, the Friends found a drinker moth caterpillar (Euthrix potatoria), so called because it is believed to drink drops of dew on grass stems.
Continue reading “Drinker moth caterpillar”Cockchafer
The cockchafers, more familiarly known as maybugs, are out and about early this year.
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Buff tailed bumblebees
The aerodynamically unlikely buff tailed bumblebee queens are already out of hibernation and buzzing around between the park’s spring flowers. Here is a video about their surprising flying skills:
On the eleventh day…
…eleven pipers piping
Honey bees make a sound that apiarists call piping.
Continue reading “On the eleventh day…”European hornets
There are European hornets (Vespa crabro) still hunting in the Lone Oak.
Continue reading “European hornets”Black and yellow
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:
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.
Continue reading “Wasp time”
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.
Continue reading “Great Pied Hoverfly”
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.
Continue reading “Drinker moth caterpillar”
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.
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 