With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

I'm not big on blasphemy. Profanity and I are not bedfellows. Expletives rarely gush forth from my mouth, unless in jest; I don't cuss a lot is what I am saying.

And unlike a pal of mine who shall remain nameless here (but his initials match those of Seth Lakeman...Yes you), I abhor the 'C' word!  

However I feel I must make mention of it today, and so here goes 'Coronavirus', there, I said it! 

My two-penneth (and by the way, one dictionary definition of that phrase is: 'It suggests that the opinion may not be worth much') goes like this:

Whilst not wishing to undermine the severity or seriousness of this current situation, I personally am finding some solace in how quiet  things are becoming worldwide. It's like the world is holding its breath: pausing to take stock. Meditating on how it should progress. It also reminds me in part of how it was as a child, before we all became manic, self possessed little ants. To quote John Lennon: "Poor boy, when you're dead you don't take nothing with you but your soul - think!"

I've been checking the local pond for signs of frogspawn and yesterday, was rewarded with several clumps...

Actually I was pleased to see more than just frogspawn; because these long chains...

...are toad spawn.

I've been lucky enough to find a couple of creatures over the past days that I have not previously seen for a few years. Starting with this tiny spider: Gibbaranea gibbosa -

Yes, with the common name of Humped Orbweb Spider, this is now the only species in this genus found in the UK. There was a second species, but having been last recorded in 1950 it is now considered extinct. 

Last seen by me around 5 years ago, this spider is only about 5mm in length and inhabits the foliage of trees, particularly evergreens (although my last sighting was on grass). I did find a similar looking species a couple of years ago...

This one is Cyclosa conica, a similar size but has just one turbacle that is more of a cone shape than hump.

Sometimes I don't even have to look for spiders, they find me...

I must try and remember to take my glasses for close work with me when I go bug hunting, if I am going to be able to find and photograph tiny things like this Collembola...

I think this is Sminthurinus niger and at just 1mm is quite a challenge. The top photo is about 4 times lifesize.

Now then: you might just want to gird up your loins prior to this next find, because there is a bit of a tale to it, which I will do my best to relate in as succinct a way as possible.

Should you be clueless as to how to gird, then here's a quick guide...

If on the other hand you have no inkling what girding actually is? This might help...it's a bit like the  phrase Australian's use for foreplay...

Okay, to quote Damon Albarn: 'So the story begins'...

Sometimes, even I think that what I like to do is odd! So there I was, staring at a fir tree for no apparent reason, when it crossed my mind that should anybody appear at this particular moment, there might be questions.

What I tend to do in these circumstances is play out little scenarios in my head, where I play both myself and the protagonist. Here's how this one went:

Inquisitive passer-by: ' Excuse me, what are you doing? What is that huge camera for?'

Me: 'Yes, I agree it looks kinda strange, but  there is a method in my madness. I photograph invertebrates, and there is a particular creature that is associated with this type of tree, which I have only ever found once before, and so I always check just on the off chance of.....'

Me: (talking out loud now) wait a minute...there's one right there!

And that's how I came to spot a commonenough ladybird, but one I have only ever found once before...

This is Anatis ocellata, commonly called the Eyed Ladybird. The adult Anatis ocellata  has a variable number of black spots (usually 15-18, but may be 0-23) on a red background. Each spot is surrounded by a yellowish halo. It's our largest native ladybird with a length of 7-8.5mm.

I also came across this weevil closeby...

Not sure of species but thinking maybe Dorytomus         

What else can I share with you before taking my leave? I know, even though this is another common critter, I thought it quite striking...

A Common Centipede (Lithobius forficatus). These grow to around 30mm in length and have 15 pairs of legs.  The back two pairs are extra long and are used to feel their way around.

And so I shall quietly creep away into isolation now and hope that I can continue to get out at least once a day for a walk with the camera, to bring you fresh updates. Meantime, you know all's well with the world when you can stand in the spring sunshine, admire the blossom and listen to the birds and bees going about their own lives unconcerned...

(Just a quick reminder that the video will be too large to show in the emailed version of my blog - you need to view the online one)

Traffic light mite...

If, and I stress if, you are of an age to recall when the wireless was king, you might be able to figure out what my first photograph has in common with an 'adenoidal squeaky-voiced Boy Scout from East Finchley'?

On a rare fine weather day, this was the first thing I saw when I ventured out with the camera...

Calliphora vomitoria

There are lots of unsavoury facts about Bluebottles (or Blow Flies) but here are a few of the more tasteful ones:

The eyes of a bluebottle are made up of 8000 facets

The bluebottle fly can smell things 750 yards away

A bluebottle fly can travel 300 times the length of its body in a single second

The wings of the fly move at a rate of 200 times per second


Alright, alright! Just for you deviants; here is one, well let's call it, indelicate fact: Females deposit their eggs on rotting corpses: this can be a useful forensic tool in establishing the time of death. There...sated? (nice scientific name too huh?)

Once again I am indebted to friend of this blog Maria Justamond. She was able to tell me in double-quick time that the sound clip of birdsong in my last update was in fact this creature...

Yes, a nuthatch: to be precise, the distress call of a nuthatch. Maria also kindly sent me a link to a bird call sharing website and I had hoped to share the call from that here: unfortunately, Blogger is telling me it takes too long to load (that's Blogger for you!)

Ironically I have had a nuthatch visiting the bird feeders in the garden: I have not heard it though, so I guess it hasn't been distressed. In fact the photos above are of 'my' nuthatch. Not great quality I'm afraid because I no longer own a birding lens and they were taken through glass.

As per usual at this time of year, I am wondering what spring will be like: will it be early or late? Well right at the end of February  2018 this is what it looked like here in my part of the world...

But then in 2019 by 7th of March we had spring flowers already blooming in local woods...

I had thought that the milder (if very wet) winter may precipitate an early onset of spring this year. But if the wood anemones are a reliable indicator, then it seems to be already a couple of weeks later. On this very day (March 10 as I write) of last year, I came upon this little spider...

Probably Araniella cucurbitina, sometimes called the "cucumber green spider"

Whilst I am on a spider kick: I was pleased to find this rather rare spider badge the other day...

Would you like to see a nice chunky spider that I found on my last visit to America? No...thought not!

You might recall that back in January I posted this picture of a beetle that seemed to have fungi sprouting from its...erm...back end?

Well look at this hopper nymph I discovered just yesterday in my local woods...

Can you see in the small image, the area I have circled. It looks like something very similar is going on: I wonder just how commonplace this is (and how I could find out).

Meantime:here's an image that I pulled up from a folder dated May 13 2011

I well remember watching this wood ant pulling the moth back to its nest. Okay so wood ants are quite large as ants go, and this wasn't the biggest moth, but even so, it had no way of resisting.

But when is an ant not an ant?

Answer: when it's a wasp!

Yes, this IS a wasp; and just to complete the illusion of it being an ant. it is wingless. Probably a female, wingless Ichneumon wasp (Gelis sp?)

We've tackled when is an ant not an ant; but how about when is a spider not a spider? Well, all spiders are arachnids right. But all arachnids are not spiders:

This creature has eight legs. It is an arachnid. But it's clearly not a spider.

Spiders, Daddy longlegs (Harvestman), False scorpions and ticks are all arachnids. As are Mites. This is a mite: a spider mite to be pedantic. Here are a few snippets of information courtesy of the BBC: They start life with six legs, but develop eight as they mature.  When active, the spider mites are light green with two dark spots on their back, but during their inactive periods they become dark orange or red.

I'll end with a photo of a weevil that was either feigning death, or wanting a tummy tickle - I opted for the latter...

Congratulations if you managed to solve my little poser at the top of this update. In case you did and are now feeling smug: can you now find a connection between this next image and  radio AND  the German aerospace engineer, Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun? 

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Aaaaaaaaaanyway!

Shall we crack on with what we are here for? Yes, unlike this wasp, I have emerged from hibernation and I'm full of it (don't think there are any missing letters in that last word.)

I was actually looking for Collembola when I found this wasp under loose bark. I snaffled a quick shot and then returned her to her winter slumbers. More on the Collembola story later, but for now, I have news of something (besides myself) that did emerge from hibernation...

Large White Butterfly (phone pic)

Yes: another of my large white butterfly eclosed t'other day. I'd had one emerge a few days ago, despite my best efforts to prevent it doing so too early because it had been kept inside. This one though was kept purposely in temperatures that matched what it would experience naturally, and so there seemed to be no stopping it. Luckily it was on a rare sunny day and after I placed it in the garden, it flew off quite happily.

You might be disappointed! Disappointed or nay, you're gonna have to wait. As we are referencing birds though: I have a challenge. Here's a sound clip of birdsong that I recorded locally...

Now I would be the first to admit that birdsong is not my forte. If it isn't a cuckoo I'm buggered basically! But I did try to identify this one, just because it seemed to my deaf ears that it was one I hadn't heard before. I checked a website that boasted in excess of 250 British Birds, but could not find a match. 

Oh I realise it'll turn out to be common as muck, but please, if you know, put me out of my misery? Thank-you.

Liocoris species bug (probably L. tripustulatus)

I thought I'd share the bug photo above, even though the quality leaves something to be desired. To be truthful, since the winter recess, I have struggled with macro photography.

I tried ramming my head into the scanner, uploading the results to Photoshop and applying the shake reduction filter, but to no avail. I guess practice is required.

Anyhow, it is the first true bug of the year for me, and that qualifies it for inclusion.

Meanwhile...

Here's a bug that I found in my garden back in May of 2011 but  it has taken me nine years to work out its name which is: 'Heterocordylus tibialis'. Or is it? According to the excellent British Bugs website, this species is associated with broom, and I have none in the garden. 

I do have a broom, but don't think that counts.

Returning to the Collembola then. In my update published on 19th December 2019 I wrote the following: 'Unfortunately I have failed to spot any of the Katianna species of Collembola that I was finding 5 years ago.' Well I am pleased to be able to relate that they are back! Not in the back garden as before, but the front.

Most of these are juveniles and so I am hoping that there is still a colony here. In truth, they have probably always been in the front garden as well as the back. It's just that they are so tiny, I have not found them until now. This next image will give you some idea of size: the black lines in the lower image are exactly 1mm apart...

Now look...I have run out of space for my tits: Oh well, I'll hold on to them until the next update.

I shall take my leave of you with this little video of a bee having a clean up...