Autumnal
The weather and my mood were both a bit autumnal today, and in keeping with that I found a number of Shieldbug nymphs and Opiliones around the garden, but very little else. This Green Shieldbug nymph was nestling in a … Continued
Successful
I’m beginning to lose count now, but just based on the number of exuviae I’ve collected, this is at least the tenth successful Southern Hawker emergence this season from our little wildlife pond. That said, for a while I thought … Continued
Relationship
As far as I know, invertebrates don’t go in for existential philosophising, but I can’t help but feel that it must be a little strange to be in a relationship, albeit temporary, with your former skeleton. Though to be fair, … Continued
The morning after the night before
I was tired after running up and down the garden in the dark for an hour last night, photographing the emergence and eclosure of this female Southern Hawker, so I didn’t wake especially early. Luckily, when I did manage to haul … Continued
Southern Hawker factory
The tiny wildlife pond R dug out and installed for me as a Covid lockdown project – it’s maybe four feet by three, and about eighteen inches at its deepest point – has suddenly turned into a bit of a … Continued
Orange-vented Mason Bee
I found it very satisfying to step out of my front door this morning, take two steps across the lawn, and find this pretty female Orange-vented Mason Bee (Osmia leaiana) nectaring on the thistle I’ve left there. I wish I … Continued
Jewel wasp
I spotted this tiny jewel wasp on the pond sedge in the wildlife pond this afternoon, during a brief cloudy spell in an otherwise sunny day. It was running around the gently waving leaves like a thing possessed, and (as … Continued
