A queen wasp (Vespula vulgaris) in the hedge in Sleepers Field.
Continue reading “Queen wasp”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.
Continue reading “Cinnabar moth”
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.
Continue reading “Swarm”
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.
Continue reading “Flea circus”
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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Garden tiger moth
by Ian Bushell
David Feather found the caterpillar of a Garden Tiger Moth in the heritage orchard.
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Another tiny creature!
Simon Knight has sent us a beautiful picture of one of the park’s tiny creatures in the wet grass.
Continue readingCrane Flies
It’s crane fly time!
Read on:Butterfly transect
by Ian Bushell
Transect for August
Numbers and variety are a bit disappointing; a cold late-summer day.
The old filled-in pond at the end of Lambrok Meadow is where I saw the Common Blue among the Ragwort, Willow-herb, Spindle, Thistle, Rose, Bramble, Red and White clover .
Q&A
Question from Tom Martin:
Found this on the pavement near my house. Do you know what it is?
Cantharidae
There are forty one species of Cantharidae in Britain and almost all go by the common names of soldier or sailor beetle.
Read on:Honey 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”Identification
Message to Ian:
Another unidentified insect inadvertently included in a botanical picture. Any idea what it is?
How to tell a grasshopper from a cricket
- The most visible difference between a grasshopper and a cricket is that crickets tend to have very long antennae while grasshoppers’ antennae are short.
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 