Bold
Most shieldbugs are pretty shy and retiring – as would you be if you were as far down the food chain as they are – but when I walked round the corner into the wild garden this afternoon, the first … Continued
Fossicking
I’m quite sure the neighbours think I’m mad, fossicking around in the undergrowth in all weathers, poking my nose into crevices in trees, and shining a torch on the underside of leaves to see what might be lurking there. But … Continued
Snuggle bugs
With every passing day it’s becoming harder to find invertebrates to photograph – although there’s a rumour that it may warm up again (briefly) next week, which should bring a few of them back out of their shelters. I do … Continued
Oxystoma pomonae
I posted one of these tiny guys a couple of weeks ago, but this view shows two of the distinguishing features of this species better than the previous photo: the large, convex eyes, and the long, tapering rostrum – or … Continued
Bug hunting
To be more accurate, I was beetle and bug hunting, these being the easiest invertebrates to find at this time of year. Beetles were thin on the ground today though, and especially thin up in the trees and bushes where … Continued
Terminator
In the last couple of days the ladybirds in my garden have looked rather overwhelmed by the thousands of aphids currently massed on the yarrow. Now though, there are some new predators in town, and these ones really are eating … Continued
Who’s a pest?
I haven’t seen a rosemary beetle since the old rosemary that used to grow against the yard wall gave up the ghost last year, so it was a surprise to discover one today, hunkered down among the new shoots of … Continued
Tiny dramas
I’d been planning to go out in search of photos today, but in the event I spent several hours grovelling around in the flower beds, recording the tiny dramas I found going on there. I can’t abide human soap operas, … Continued
Confrontation
I can’t decide whether this reminds me more of a lion gazing at a herd of wildebeest, or the confrontation between the Fellowship of the Ring and the Balrog in the Mines of Moria. If there’s one thing we’re all … Continued
