Everything but the Mosquito!

I was out in the garden earlier than usual this morning. There was only a slight breeze and the sun was weak.  A good time to be out.

I am always surprised to find species of insects that I have not seen before.

Meligramma trianguliferum (I think).

This Drone Fly was pre-occupied:

Drone Fly going about it’s business.

As I watched it ‘relieved’ itself.  Now, you don’t see that very often!

Melangyna-cincta Hoverfly

I found this big Garden Spider:

Garden Spider on it’s web

This fly was also warming himself in the early morning sun:

Blow Fly

I returned to the garden later in the day and found this fellow:

Grasshopper

I didn’t get a photograph of the mosquito that bit me though!

As usual, click on an image to see it full size.

Sunday Flies

A lull in the wet weather this morning saw me out in the garden cleaning the fish pond pump out. A smelly business but the effluent from it is good for the garden as it is an excellent fertiliser.

I saw this Common Blue Butterfly lingering:

So I also lingered awhile to see what other visitors were in our garden.  This is what else I found:

Hoverflies are still numerous and very active and the garden spiders are everywhere.

As I write this I see that the sun is out although it is still windy so I am going out in the garden and see what early evening visitors we have.

Having just watched John Wayne in the afternoon film ‘Hondo‘  I need a bit a fresh air.

Mae will have to wait a few minutes longer for her cup of tea!

And wait she did!

I found these visitors:

Mae got her cup of tea and I got some pleasant images.

Sunday seems to have flown by.

A Perfect Morning – almost!

No grandchildren for a week.

Mae has gone swimming.

Still air in the garden.

Sunshine.

Peace and quiet.

Beds to make, grass to mow . . . . .  jobs, jobs, jobs.

Given the above what was I meant to do?

Go into the garden and see what is occurring of course.

So that is what I did.

There are still lots of Hoverflies visiting us:

The last two images of a flying insect is one I haven’t seen in our garden before. It is a brute of an insect compared to the usually smaller Hoverflies we have.  It landed on the underside of a leaf and these were the best I could do before it flew off.  I have searched my book and the www but I can only narrow it down to it being either a drone fly or soldier fly (but I doubt it) so if anyone can help etc. etc.

I managed to get the sheets off the bed and washed before Mae returned.  Beds are now made but the grass will have to wait.

Clouds are gathering and you cannot mow the grass if it loooks like it is going to rain (laws of gardening as according to me).

So I decided to sit in and wait and as I now have time on my hands I thought I would do this post.

It was almost a perfect morning but the day ended okay!

Bubble Blowing Blow Fly

Blow Fly blowing a bubble

I found this fly blowing bubbles early one evening. I don’t know why he was doing his but he blew quite a few as I watched him.

Here are some more my recently photographed visitors or residents in our garden:

In order these are: Bumble Bee close-up; Crane Fly; Stretch Spider.

These are: Issus-coleoptratus (2);Baby Garden Spiders.

Moth (2); Hover Fly

The garden continues to be busy with a wide variety of visiting or resident insects.

We are looking after our grandchildren for a couple of weeks during the school holidays so I might enlist their help in producing posts for this blog.  That’s if we do anything exciting with them!

I know the scalextrics has got to be laid out and the beach (every day!) has been planned by them.

I hope my daily read of the newspaper is also ’scheduled’!

Cricket, Grasshopper or Giant Greenfly?

I have a book called  ‘A Field guide in Colour to Insects‘. (over 800 species illustrated in full colour – nice drawings and paintings). I have had it for years, since the ’70’s anyway. It cost £2.95 then.

It is the first place I look to identify insects I find.  Trouble is – some of the insects I find and photograph do not look the same as those in the book!   Even doing a ‘google’ does not help at times.

I found this insect yesterday:

Cricket, Grasshopper?

It looks like a giant greenfly – it’s not though!

If some-one could help me identify this insect I would be grateful.

I also found this pair ‘up to no good’ :

Soldier Beetles mating.

I found this pair wandering on the grass locked together like this but I had difficulty photographing them so I put a leaf in their way and they climbed on it and I placed them on our garden table where they continued their behaviour as I photographed them.

Please click on an image to see it full size.

This is why I like wandering around the garden in the early evening. I just never know what I may find in our back garden.

Ladybird 1 – Ants 3

I saw this 7 spot ladybird making it’s slow way along a plant stem. Minding it’s own business.

As it made his way down the stalk it didn’t know it was being watched – and not only by me:

The Ladybird was quickly surrounded by three ants:

Who harrassed it:

The ants kept this up for quite a while and all the ladybird could do was put up with it.

I eventually felt sorry for it and allowed it to escape by brushing it off the stalk.

All heart you see, that’s me!

Mind you, I could have done it much earlier but  I wouldn’t have got these photographs if I had – would I!

Red Poppy, Green Fly

One of Mae’s latest plants for the garden is this lovely Poppy.

Papaver Orientale Turkenlouis:

It is gorgeous with it’s frilly petals and large centre compound pistil.

As I was taking the above photographs this little Greenfly wandered over the pistil.

Looking closely at this image of the greenfly it can be seen that this plain greenfly is anything but plain, in fact it is quite an interesting and colourful insect (click on the image to see it full size).

Everything is allowed to come and go in our garden as it wishes, even Greenfly!

Hovering Hoverfly

Every now and then I capture an image that has been eluding me.

I have been trying to photograph a Hoverfly as it hovers. This is the result of many attempts.

Hoverfly hovering (Eupeodes-corollae):

I am so pleased with this I had to show it off.

The garden has been busy this past week as the sun has shone and the Hoverflies and Bees have been numerous.

Hoverfly – Syrphus Torvus:

Hoverfly wing detail:

I wanted to show the detail of the wing of a Hoverfly

Harlequin 14 spot ladybird:

This ladybird, Harmonia axyridis, the most invasive ladybird on Earth.

I copied this information from the Harlequin Ladybird Survey website (thanks):

The harlequin ladybird was introduced to North America in 1988, where it is now the most widespread ladybird species on the continent. It has already invaded much of of north-western Europe, and arrived in Britain in summer 2004.

There are 46 species of ladybird (Coccinellidae) resident in Britain and the recent arrival of the harlequin ladybird has the potential to jeopardise many of these. The Harlequin Ladybird Survey will monitor its spread across Britain and assess its impact on native ladybirds.

Bombus Lucorum – Bumble Bee:

This Bumble Bee proved a difficult subject.  This was taken using my 600mm Mirror Lens as when I tried to get a close-up it just ‘buzzed off’‘.

I will keep trying and my patience will eventually be rewarded.

Residents and Visitors

Not too many opportunities to be out in the garden this week.  The wind has been a bit too strong with a bitter chill.

I did find these visitors in our garden though.

Apoidea – Ceratina cyanea (Carpenter Bee – I think).

I think I have identified this insect correctly.

Another view of same Carpenter Bee:

I know that there are so many ‘versions’ of Hoverfly and identification is not easy as variations can be small between types so if there is anyone who can assist in identification I would be most grateful.

Hoverfly – Parasyrphus punctulatus

I know this one as there were lots in our garden last year.

Black Beetle:

This little chap I found making his way along our garden path.  Again, identifying the exact species is not easy even in this day of the internet.

I have decided to categorise my garden ‘finds’ as either resident (crawling) and visitor (flying) on the understanding that crawling insect etc must live in the garden and flying insects etc move from garden to garden.

The bird activity in the garden has reduced quite considerable and for most of the day the garden is deserted. The wind has been too strong for me to have my hide erected so no bird spotting this week.

I hope for warmer weather with no breeze next week so that more insects will be active.

We shall see.

The Early Peacock Butterfly

I looked out of the bathroom window this morning and saw this butterfly taking in the sun on our garage roof.

I only had one opportunity to capture this fellow digitally as I had to run downstairs, get my camera and stand in the bath to take this photo. One shot and it was gone.

I wasn’t that successful either. This is the original image:

With a bit of digital enhancement I was able to make a reasonable image out of it.

Is this butterfly not a wee bit early in the year to be out and about?

Maybe it is a survivor from last year.

Nice to see and one to add to my digital insect collection.