31/05/2020 Lots of insects........Part 1

Maximum temperature here today 27⁰C, minimum 14⁰C.  Dry.  16km/h South-Easterly wind with gusts up to 37 km/h. 

I walked yesterday but with 25C in the shade, I only managed 6.2 km, the last loop I had planned was abandoned!

Hoverfly possibly (Episyrphus balteatus) on a Californian poppy.

Nine spot Ladybird.

Bees on the cotoneaster.

Hoverfly not the same as one above!...

In France there are around 530 different species of Hoverfly that are known to be present, this is probably (Syrphus ribesii).

As above.

Spotted Craneflies I think - (Nephrotoma appendiculata).

House centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata).

Possibly one of the stag beetles.

Bee on the blackberry blossom.

Ants on Common Vetch.

Black-veined white butterfly (Aporia crataegi).

Red admiral butterfly (vanessa atalanta).

Beautiful demoiselle (Calopteryx Virgo) female.

As above male.

As above female.

A pair of River skaters (Aquarius najas).

Common clubtail dragonfly, (Gomphus vulgatissimus).

Not an insect but seen on the walk - Probably (Pelophylax lessonae).

My thanks to Richard for ID of some of the difficult (for me) insects.  If you have not visited his blog I highly recommend it.  Any mistakes on ID are very much my own as I sometimes think I know better than to ask!!!

Our local list of wild flowers

See also my

 Bird blog

08/05/2020 Flowers and Insects

Maximum temperature here today 23⁰C, minimum 15⁰C.  Some rain during the day not measured as yet.   14km/h South-Easterly wind with gusts up to 37 km/h. 

Sorry, far more photos than usual but I have at last caught up with April,  I can now move on to May !!

White Lilac out walking.

Violet Lilac also out walking.

Choisya ternata at home.

Wisteria out walking.

Irises at home.

Azalea - home.

Californian poppies - home.

Peony - home.

Iris-home.

Azalea -home

Mirabelle plums - home.

Cherries - home (they are now ripening but with all the rain most are split) 😞

All the following bugs are in the garden.

(Oxythyrea funesta) - chafer beetle.

(Trichodes alvearius) Family Cleridae.

As above.

Crane-fly.

Red Cabbage bug (Eurydema ornata).

Moth unknown

Caterpillar - Garden Tiger Moth (Artica caja).

Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata).

Caterpillar of the Lackey moth (Malacosoma neustria).

As above.

Eight spotted Ladybird.

Banded Snail.

I have made an extra page on the wildflowers seen at home, or very close by, which if you are interested in, you can see the link at the top of the page under the main heading, on the green line. I am adding to it all the time.

See also my

 Bird blog

03/05/2020 A collection of insects from the garden.

After a whole week of rain, it is still raining, but if the forecast has it right it will be hot and sunny tomorrow going up to 28C.

Maximum temperature here today 20⁰C, minimum 13⁰C.  7mm of rain measured this morning.  16km/h South-Westerly wind with gusts up to 35 km/h. 

Chafer beetle (Cetonia cuprea) on the flowers of the Red Robin shrub (photinia x fraseri).

Longhorn beetle (not sure which one) also on the Red Robin.

As above and love is in the air!

As above.

Robber fly I think! 

Hoverfly. All the above were on the Red Robin.

Bumble bee on the sage

As above.

A different bee again, not sure which, on the winter broccoli going to seed

Yet another bee on the sage.

The only shot I managed of this Red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta), also on the Red Robin.

Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria).

I missed the first part of this story but only saw the spider dive across the web to catch the Crane fly...

It then turned away in disgust, obviously not as tasty as first thought..

The Crane fly was left on its own to try and break free of the web.  It finally did just that, but minus one leg in the process.

See also my

 Bird blog