I thought I'd begin this soirée with a dollop of cuteness. Here's a little visitor to the garden (by the way, yes I do know a soirée is usually an evening affair with music: it is evening as I write, and there is music embedded in the video, so let's not get pedantic so early in proceedings, eh?)...
I think this is a field mouse, but I know less about identifying meeses than I do about counting from one to ten using both hands.
So shall we move on to something that I do know about?
When I said that I know about these creatures, what I meant was, I know they are Staphylinidae larvae (Rove beetle) but I wouldn't like to go further than that: as part of my defence regards not knowing species, I would like to submit the following excerpt from Wikipedia your honour:With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is currently recognized as the largest extant family of organisms.
Let's see if I do any better with this offering. Take a look at this next photograph (not mine BTW, credit to 'kerbtier.de')
This has been identified as Latridiidae species (a Minute scavenger beetle) and I think it looks remarkably like a beetle that I discovered in my garden t'other day...
Okay, I agree you cannot tell from this image, but this is just to demonstrate how tiny it was at around 2mm. That's a japonica leaf it is perched on (can beetles perch, or is that just birds?)
What do we think? Well I know what I think; I think I was pretty damn certain until I uploaded the images, now I'm not quite so sure...typical!
How about this funky bug then...
I'll let you tell me what this one is?
Don't know huh? Not as easy as you thought? What if I told you it is actually a Shore bug: would you believe me? Well, you shouldn't, because it isn't!
No this beauty is a Ground bug and as I haven't had a plump for ages and you can't beat a good plump, I am going to plump for Peritrechus geniculatus.
If that proves to be incorrect, please address all communications to Mrs Trellis of North Wales. If you have lost the ability to write snail-mail letters, then please feel free to email just the word 'Plethora', because that means a lot to me.
I wouldn't mind betting that it's not only me who's never seen a springtail egg-laying? Well, we are all in for a treat now then, because that's what is happening in this next image...
The inset is just to give you an idea of how it looked to the naked eye. And here's another photo from a few moments later...
How about a triform of hoverfly larvae...
Yes, I've been finding a lot of these recently and so I'm hopeful it may be a good year for hoverflies locally.
Whilst we are doing threesomes, how about a trinity of weevil photos...
'Sitonia lineatus' is my guess for this fine weevil, based on the fact that. that's what I think it is.
I've left this as long as I possibly could: in fact, if I left it any longer it'd be in the next update! You have been warned...well, you haven't yet, but you will have been in a nano-second or two...
Alright! Didn't your mummy ever tell you that all good things come to those who wait? This isn't necessarily a good thing, but that's beside the point...
Yes, I thought why not end on a spider photo or two; if you're reading this, you must have made it this far and so if you bail-out now I cannot complain, so here it is a HUGE spider I found in the house yesterday...
Actually, I lied about the size of this boy, just for dramatic effect - he was only less than 20mm from tip to toe.
The first thing I need to say right at the start of this update is that I have had several enquiries about the Blue-tits and so let me tell you about them; I have to report that they have stopped visiting the nest-box over the past few days. It seemed to happen suddenly and not only that, but I haven't even seen them in, or around the garden. Perhaps the noisy neighbours are to blame, or even the local cats that seem to be constantly on the prowl close-by? There is also the possibility that something has happened to one or both of them. It's really disappointing as I was looking forward to having them and observing the nest building and raising of chicks. I did my best to encourage them and will do the same again next year. I might re-site the box though.
Shall we start with some spider pictures then? Oh yes please JJ! You know how much we all love spiders...
Click on any photo for a larger view on black
Diaea dorsata
Diaea dorsata
Diaea dorsata
This is Diaea dorsata, the Green Crab-spider. A reasonably common spider in the southern half of the UK but scarcer as you venture north and not recorded at all in Ireland. It is strongly associated with woodland, where it can be found on trees such as oak, yew and conifers. This one was actually on hazel. A short-lived spider, probably a year at best.
My first sighting and photo of an Orange-tip Butterfly
Moving along then, as I appreciate that there are a few poor souls who find spiders pedestrian subjects. Something much more mainstream here with my first sighting of the early spring butterflies that surely nobody could object to?
The photo above was my first 'snap' of the species and demonstrates my technique of getting what I like to refer to as an 'insurance shot'. I usually try to just get something on the camera's sensor as a record of the sighting, and then move in for what I hope will prove to be a better series of shots if I am lucky...
Anthocharis cardamines (Orange-tip Butterflies)
I caught these two soon after, doing the jiggy-jiggy thing. Blimey, only just emerged and they're at it already. Before the orange-tips arrived, there were already good numbers of small tortoiseshell butterflies on the cuckoo-flower...
Aglais urticae (Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies)
Peiris brassicae (A Large White Butterfly)
I have been looking after three Large White pupae over the winter and one has now emerged. The other two are pretty close also. This photo (above) was taken around 30 minutes after it eclosed.
This picture is of the chrysalis as it looked a few hours before the butterfly emerged. I just love how much detail you can already make out. You can see the eyes, wings, antennae and even how the proboscis lays flat at this stage and only curls up once the insect has emerged...
I took the opportunity to get a close-up photo as well whilst it was waiting for its wings to inflate fully...
Let's move on to the case of the invisible caterpillar shall we? Here it is(nt)...
C'mon, you have to agree that the camouflage here is pretty amazing? What's even more amazing for me is the fact that I managed to see it at all! Once the macro has been focused on it, the true detail is revealed in all its glory...
Shine some light on it and suddenly, it doesn't seem to be half as well camouflaged? Yes, this is the same caterpillar that you can(t) see in the previous photograph. I think this is Campaea margaritaria,a Light Emerald larva.
On the subject of moths, I have run the moth trap three times now and had about the same amount of moths! Hopefully now that the weather is improving, my count will increase. I did get this early caddisfly on one night recently...
Stenophylax permistus
Stenophylax permistus
I think this one could be the species I have named it as but of course, as always, I am willing to be corrected by anyone who knows differently.
I always love to find something new to me and so when I spotted this next critter, I really was hoping that it wasn't the click beetle that it seemed to resemble..
Orchesia undulata (A False Darking Beetle)
According to the Royal Entomological Society Book of British Insects, this family of beetles (Melandryidae) are all associated with fungi and most are confined to ancient woodland. Nearly all are scarce species, with Orchesia undulata perhaps the most frequently found. It also seems that this beetle was first discovered in the UK in about 1907 and locally at that, in West Kent.
Meanwhile, in the garden I came across another little beetle sitting pretty on the lavender. This one is the Pea Weevil (Sitonia lineatus) which is a pest of both beans and peas apparently. Not that it worries me as I have neither...
A Pea Weevil (Sitonia lineatus)
I guess I should think about winding up this update then as it's getting rather long already. Perhaps I'll leave you with one more beetle, this one is the rather shy and retiring cereal leaf beetle...
