Final instar
Back at home after spending the day in Wales with the Boy Wonder, and with R having gone back out again to a gig in Birmingham (Bonnie Raitt, if that set you wondering), I took the macro and wandered round … Continued
Shimmering
It was a trying kind of a day – not least for anyone who had to deal with me as my emotional temperature soared – but a few good things happened, and this was one of them. As I walked … Continued
Chrysotoxum cautum
As Batesian mimics go, this hoverfly is pretty effective: not only does it look a lot like a wasp, it also moves fast and erratically like a wasp, and sounds irritatedly waspish. 9/10 – would recommend. It was concert day … Continued
Batesian mimickry
When a dull and overcast morning suddenly gave way to a bright, warm and sunny afternoon, and I wandered out with the camera to see what invertebrates were about, I almost punched the air when I spotted this wasp beetle: … Continued
Late entrant
This female Holly Blue was resting on the laurel hedge in the secret garden at lunch time, and obligingly opened her wings enough for me to see her diagnostic black forewing marking. Apart from a couple of nicks out of … Continued
Fancy dress
“There’s an interesting hoverfly here,” I called out to the menfolk, who were watering the patio plants. (Or at any rate, the patio.) “Shall we go and see what Grandma’s found?” said R to the Boy Wonder. And then, a … Continued
Stripy socks
I woke up this morning feeling completely wrecked. I think I’ve been overdoing things a bit recently, plus I currently have a virus that’s bad enough for me to have felt that I should do a Covid test (negative, luckily) … Continued