Pond life
When I went to check the wildlife pond after breakfast – at which time the weather was gloomy and it was still quite cold – all three of yesterday’s damselflies were still on the pond sedge, and there was another … Continued
Orange-belted leafwalker
On another dull and showery morning I struggled to find many invertebrates, but eventually turned up this handsome hoverfly in the scrubby area at the very far end of the garden, on the bank of the stream. I’m not too … Continued
Contortionist
One of the earliest invertebrate arrivals in the garden this spring was a male Eristalis pertinax which was fond of basking on the aucuba, so it seems fitting that another male of that species should appear on the same shrub … Continued
Hanging on
I had a few candidates for tonight’s post, including some quite nice fungus that I found in the garden this morning, and a handsome little orb-weaver spider. In the end I’ve chosen this female Myathropa florea, feeding on ivy, because … Continued
Golden hour
I went over to Trench Wood early this afternoon, timing my arrival for the point at which I thought the morning crowd would have gone home for lunch. It certainly wasn’t crowded – though I only got a parking spot … Continued
Accessorised
I was lucky to spot this small, dark hoverfly on a dark ivy leaf in a shady part of the lane today. She’s Cheilosia pagana, the most common species out of the largest genus of hoverflies in the UK, but … Continued
Hummingfly
One of the poignant pleasures of the late summer and early autumn is the emergence of the ivy flowers, which act as a magnet to all the invertebrates in the area that feed on nectar or pollen. I’ve been seeing … Continued