Spicy
By this time of year I always feel that we’ve hit peak beetle and bug season, and today was notably buggy: apart from one Viburnum Beetle, the only things I found in the garden were bugs. This one was by … Continued
Pregnant pause
Halteres are the vestigial hind wings of flies, and are believed to act as balance organs. I’ve never found an explanation as to why in Melanostoma scalare they’re sometimes (though not always) green, but it’s a peculiarity that as far as … Continued
Beauty and the beast
Today brought me two firsts. The main image shows the first Great Pied Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) I’ve seen this year – a fresh and pristine male, so gorgeous that I let out an audible “Oooh!” of appreciation when I first … Continued
Steampunk baby
I was surprised to spot this little Issus coleoptratus nymph today, out and about on the honeysuckle by the garage. As far as I knew until now, our entire garden colony of this planthopper lived in the ivy on our … Continued
Trickyposition
Back in my comfort zone today, and on the first really spring-like day of the year, I took over six hundred photos of insects engaged in various activities. This might not be technically the best of them, but when you … Continued
Aphid eater
This was my first Eupeodes of the season, and I was pleased to have my identification confirmed by the hoverfly recorders, because male Eupeodes are tricky, and can’t always be taken to species. We have nine of these species in … Continued
