Cuckoo flowers, Cuckoo-spit, but no Cuckoo yet...

Shall we begin with something beautiful? It might soften the blow, if, or when, we get to the spider photos, if nothing else?

This is how one of the ponds in Comfort's Wood looked on my last visit a few days ago. Stunning isn't it. I'm none too sure about the amount of pond/duckweed, but it sure looks pretty.

Meanwhile, looking at the darker side of what is happening in the woods, the ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) has burned great holes into the wooded areas...

This might actually be a portend of the direction this update will take, because I have a couple of 'on the other hand' type stories to relate.

For now though, in my own garden, and around the house, has provided some finds in the past few days: this micro-moth was one of two that I spotted one morning...

            I think it might well be one of the Incurvaria species? Edit: Esperia sulphurella Sulphur Tubic (Thanks to Maria J)

Then there was this flat-backed millipede scurrying around on the furniture in the garden...

The mother of all aphids turned up inside the house one day...

I suspect this one will be Macrosiphum rosae, a rose aphid.

Oh yes, lots of these 'Bluebottles' around right now too...

Calliphora vomitoria is actually a species of blow fly. Cracking name though eh? vomitoria!

Back to Comfort's wood now. I can't believe that in an update for 2020, I stated that my first sighting of a scorpion fly was not until October! Here's one I photographed this week...

It's a male, as can be seen by that scorpion-like 'tail', that is not a tail at all, but a penis.

I saw both male and female orange-tip butterflies in the woods. Mostly on and around the cuckoo-flower (no sign of the cuckoo itself yet). But there were plenty of these fabulous insects in the same areas...

The dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major)

The dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major)

Yes, I know they look a tad menacing; but that spear is nothing more than a drinking straw, and so they are totally harmless. That is of course, unless you are another insect! While adult bee-flies are adorable, a young bee-fly isn't quite as endearing. The larva is a parasitoid, meaning it is a parasite that will end up killing its host. Many bee-fly species are parasites of bees and wasps, but there are some that target beetles, grasshoppers, ants, moths or caterpillars.

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What I did forget to mention was that one of my best finds was actually on the car when I arrived. I'm not sure if it rode with me, or arrived as I parked...

A beautiful little longhorn beetle. Pogonocherus species. My photos don't show enough detail for me to be sure which one, but probably either P. hispidus, or P. hispidulus. Edit: Pogonocherus hispidus (Thanks to Maria J. for correct ID)

I got to photograph my first weevil of the year this week too...

Judging by the general appearance, and shape of the antennae, I think this one is an acorn weevil (Curculio glandium)

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Harking back to an earlier topic now, I wanted to share this little video from my garden. It shows how, after a long wait, the blue tits have now decided to use the new nest box. Unfortunately, as you will see in the second half of the video,  the neighbour's cat has already discovered this!

(Just a reminder here that this video may be too large to appear in the emailed version of my blog)

I'm reinforcing the access points to try and keep the moggy at bay, I don't want a repeat of what happened May of 2017 when a different cat destroyed the nest and babies.

Here's the spider picci then - I held off as long as I could, and anyhow, it's a really smart little jumping spider that I spotted on the hydrangea in the garden... 

I think that I have only seen one bug nymph thus far this year. And a tiny one it was too; looking quite ant-like as it tried its very best to avoid being photographed on the hawthorn...

This is an instar of the bug 'Miris striatus'. These overwinter as eggs, hatching in April.

At the same location I found these tiny hopper nymphs too...

And doing what they do: making all that 'cuckoo-spit'. 

Lastly for this update, a stonefly...

Also spotted on the hawthorn.

Oh, alright then...one more before I get my coat, a few hoverflies...