Bluebells and weevils...

Well this on-off spring continues to frustrate, but we are turning a corner now, I just hope that there is something  encouraging up around the bend to quote CCR. Not sure about the 'rising wind' in that song though-but 'fix your mind on a crystal day' sounds good to me.

My local woods are turning from a dull moth to a colourful butterfly, if you know what I mean? Winter's drab, pensioner beige's are being replaced by spring's zestful primary colours and soft pastels that can only mean the spring flowers are bursting into life...

If only the skies were as blue as the first of the bluebells. To be fair, they have been on some days; just not enough days. It's not only the bluebells that are blue though. Look at this cracking little weevil I found on the newly emerged hazel leaves the other day...

Involvulus caeruleus 

I think this may be a weevil called Involvulus caeruleus because...that's what I think it is. And I actually found one in the same woods and on the very same date in 2015. 

The difference in colour between these two photographs is almost entirely caused by using flash on the first image; whereas the bottom one was taken using just natural light. Which ties in nicely with this next subject...

When I spotted my first Orange-tip butterfly of the year recently, I was keen to get a shot of it but only had the extreme macro lens with the big diffuser attached to the camera. That's the photo at the bottom of the two pictures above; yes there's quite a lot of nice detail, as you would expect, but the flash fall-off results in that dark background. 

And so on this occasion the only other option was to grab a phone shot, which is the top photo here. For me the phone pic wins hands down. Makes ya wonder sometimes eh? Why lug all this heavy kit around!

Wood anemone

There are carpets of Wood Anemone across local woodland now and I really should try to find out just what creature likes to bite holes out of the flowers. 

I did find this information about the herbal uses (or not) of these plants: 

Medicinal use of Wood Anemone: 

The leaves are antirheumatic, rubefacient and tonic. The plant is sometimes used externally as a counter-irritant in the treatment of rheumatism. The herb is gathered in spring before the plant comes into flower. Various parts of this herb used to be recommended for a variety of complaints such as headaches and gout, though the plant is virtually not used nowadays. A homeopathic remedy has been made from the leaves.

I have to say that I had no idea what rubefacients were. Here's the answer for me and any other dim-witted folk though: Topical rubefacients cause irritation and reddening of the skin, due to increased blood flow. They are used in the treatment of pain in various musculoskeletal conditions. S'pose you knew that?

Here's my Brexit find...

IN, OUT...IN, OUT...

I think this is probably a larva of the longhorn beetle Rhagium mordax. If those silly nomenclaturists haven't changed its name that is! Did I just invent that word nomenclaturists? Well you know what I mean, the people who name these critters.

This is encouraging: on a recent walk I found good numbers of ladybirds and even better, all but one were our native 7-spot species. The errant blighter was a Harlequin or Asian ladybird. The 7-spot is on the left of the pictures below. Notice how much more white there is on the Harlequin. A good clue when trying to identify them. 

Having said that; it is not an altogether reliable aid to identity. Take a look at this 10-spot ladybird in my next pictures...

Very similar patterning on the pronotum, that area right behind the head. But, this particular beetle, even though it doesn't look it in my macro images, is actually a bit under half the size of the other ladybirds. So in this instance, size does matter.

I can't tell you the trouble I have had trying to bring this update to you: well, I could but it would bore the a*** off ya! Damned internet. Been up and down faster than a fiddler's elbow.

And so I shall quit whilst I am ahead and leave you with this photograph of a Bee-fly. These are cunning little parasites that flick their eggs (in flight) towards the entrance of underground nests of solitary bees and wasps. Then when the larvae emerge from the eggs, they feed on the grubs within the nest. Nice huh!

Oh! By the way, this half and half vegetable kinda sums up my mood. Can you guess?