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Tremella mesenterica (common names include Witches' Butter, Yellow Brain, Golden Jelly Fungus, and Yellow Trembler).
Crust fungus is visible on the tree's branches, T. mesenterica associated with the wood-rotting Peniophora genus.
4 January 2018, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Priory Fields Nature Reserve, Birmingham/Solihull, West Midlands
Identified with help from UK Fungi www.fungi.org.uk/
Logged on iRecord www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/record-details?occurrence_id=6335069
Nice visitor to our front garden just now. Its a darter. Confirmed as a Libellula depressa by iRecord
Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) female
Identified by iRecord verifier www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/
27 July 2018, Cuttle Pool Nature Reserve, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, Temple Balsall
A close-up shot of the bee fly from last week. This one was taken earlier in the sequence of shots and I had to be careful when moving the camera and tripod to change the position, not to disturb it. Wouldn't be the first time the subject has flown away mid shoot!
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Oak Marble Galls (also known as Bullet Galls, Oak Nuts, and Devonshire Galls) develop on certain oak trees, caused by the gall wasp (Andricus kollari) which lays eggs within leaf buds.
16 January 2018, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Priory Fields Nature Reserve, Birmingham/Solihull, West Midlands
Logged on iRecord: www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/record-details?occurrence_id=6378888
I really like photographing Bee flies, though finding them when they are roosting has never been easy, much more luck than any real judgement. This one was pretty well camouflaged on a dead herbaceous plant stem in a patch of local woodland. Fortunately it was very sheltered and virtually no wind so I was able to take a fairly long exposure.
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The cap of Velvet Shank (Flammulina velutipes) becomes distinctly slimy when wet. Good enough to eat? In Japan, enoki is grown for the pot, but is a pale cousin of this beautiful winter fungus.
16 January 2018, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Priory Fields Nature Reserve, Birmingham/Solihull, West Midlands
Logged on iRecord: www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/record-details?occurrence_id=6335044
One of the few larger orb weavers that can be found in early spring that favours building small webs between the twigs of last years perennial stalks. It is one I often look for though with many sites now grazed over the winter it is becoming harder to find.
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No early start today so decided instead to have a little bit of a safari around the garden. The cool temperatures and wind are keeping most of the bees and other insects grounded, except in the brief periods the sun came out, including this moth perched on a leaf in a shady part of the garden. A nice find as one I've not seen before.
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After seeing hundreds of photos on iRecord and elsewhere of these stunning Coreids, finally, whilst visiting family in Kent, I saw one! Leptoglossus occidentalis (Western conifer seed bug).
Fortunately my aunt, who I was staying with, knows what I'm like, so wasn't alarmed by my shrieks of excitement coming from upstairs when I spotted it!!
After taking a couple of shots, I popped him out the window, and took some ventral shots (viewable large). Was so excited, that I didn't think to take him outside to pop him on a more natural background for photos!!
Wootton - Kent
Oh, and Happy New Year to all!! 😁
This Unidentified Spinning Object is a small (3-4 mm) spider spotted in the garden with a web in a mint plant. I can't find it anywhere in the field guides and an iRecord verifier doesn't recognise it other than being a young spider.
Another one from yesterday morning up at Priddy Mineries. One of those species that once I came across at one location, now starting to see it at all the places I visit.
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A small cryptine wasp that I'm told parasitises tortrix moths by laying eggs in their pupae. Photographed in the garden. Thanks to Gavid Broad for the ID through iRecord.
A different species this time, this and the previous shot are probably the most common two species to be found in the UK. The left eye(s) is just out of focus in this shot, unfortunately only managed a couple of images before it disappeared.
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Amongst all the flowers on the woodland floor, I noticed this pair which fitted the frame perfectly.
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You can see more of my images on my other flickr account Heath's moth page
A shot of a female wood-carving leaf-cutter bee primarily taken for identification purposes. The large head and pale pollen brush with a black tip can be seen clearly. The ID has been verified in iRecord from this shot plus three others from different angles.
Photographed on a fleabane flower about 2-2.5 cm across (this is a big bee!) at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB reserve.
or the No 1 moth if you prefer.
Another new species to add to the list and similar to another species I've seen at the same location, both with the funky hair do!
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My first real early morning macro trip this year up on the hills overlooking where I live.
It was more difficult than I had hoped when looking for insects to photograph and eventually found this hoverfly which I am still trying to confirm the full id.
The curly strands on the dead plant are strands of wool from the sheep that are grazing the hill.
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What a fantastic little weevil this is and looks so unlike anything else. A species I have been looking to photograph for some time.
We normally find these each year in the spring either on the wall of the house or on a windowsill. The reason we see these weevils is due to the ash tree at the bottom of the garden which is covered in the fungus King Alfreds Cakes - Daldinia concentrica, which these little weevils live on.
This one was found on a wall so I carefully encouraged it to climb onto twig to take a few photos then released it back near the ash tree.
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You can see more of my images on my other flickr account Heath's moth page
Tremella mesenterica (common names include Witches' Butter, Yellow Brain, Golden Jelly Fungus, and Yellow Trembler).
Crust fungus is visible on the tree's branches, T. mesenterica associated with the wood-rotting Peniophora genus.
4 January 2018, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Priory Fields Nature Reserve, Birmingham/Solihull, West Midlands
Identified with help from UK Fungi www.fungi.org.uk/
Logged on iRecord www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/record-details?occurrence_id=6335069
A flesh fly (identified to species level through iRecord) on the log pile at Chester Zoo Nature Reserve.
I tend not to photograph flies other than hoverflies and a few others that I recognise due to the difficulties identifying them. Something I would like to put right in the future.
A small garden bumblebee queen commuting between Ajuga reptans flowers in the garden. Initially identified as Bombus terrestris but corrected on iRecord. Obvious from other shots when I look again - need to be more careful.
Another insect colonising the UK is this Ichneumenoid photographed in Penally this spring. Until recently I had it labelled as Pimpla rufipes but through reporting on iRecord it has now been identified by an expert.
After a couple of days with venomous reptiles, thought I might have a go at something a little more delicate, so went down to a local wood to photograph some of the spring flowers, great to see so many in flower, sure they are a bit earlier this year.
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Visit Heath McDonald Wildlife Photography
You can see more of my images on my other flickr account Heath's moth page
This small moth - known as the common marble or dark strawberry tortrix - was resting on some bramble leaves in the Chester Zoo ex-MOD land. Like the nettle tap it has a deep indentation between the wing tips at rest. However, their markings are sufficiently different to tell them apart by picture comparison.
It has two scientific names. On iRecord it's known as Syricoris, but on iNat it's Celypha (although Syricoris is recognised). Wildlife recording is such fun!
A very scarce Dronefly in the UK, almost a UK 'mega' in birding terms, however it is common in Southern Europe. This species was identified by several naturalists on the iNaturalist website and confirmed on iRecord.
On a recent bug hunting trip with the invertebrates group, one of the team found this "cotton wool caterpillar". It turns out to be an Alder Sawfly larvae. Whilst this was in an area that has been planted with a good number of Alders in the mix, there were no previous recordings of Alder Sawfly on iRecord for the Isle of Man. Plant the trees and there is a chance that the insect diversity will follow.
Whilst it was in a sample tray for examination, a tiny snail we had also found (not identified), came right up and slid over the back end of the larvae, collecting some of the fluff as it went. The specimens were released again, back to appropriate vegetation.
A male snouted duckfly (Falk) or striped swamp fly (iNaturalist) on a buttercup in the Chester Zoo BAP Corridor. This hoverfly also has two scientific names. Originally it was in genus Anasimyia which is the name used in the standard texts and iRecord. However, the powers that be have moved it into genus Eurimyia which is used by iNaturalist.
An early morning trip to East Harptree Woods on the Mendips in Somerset, primarily to take some shots for this months camera club project, when I came across a spider in the centre of its web, not that unusual normally but after the torrential rain of yesterday and a cold night, this was the only spider I found that had managed to create a fresh web.
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This minute (maybe 4 mm long) bee was spotted crawling out of a Campanula flower in the garden. ID provided through iRecord.
Over the last month or so I've noticed that Brimstones often rest on the Mock Orange bush in the garden as they are very well camouflaged, so the other morning I had a look whilst the sun was hidden behind clouds and found one but didn't have long to get some shots before the sun came out again. As is often the case, it was perched in an awkward position so opted for a close up instead with a shallow dof.
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Another shot from yesterday morning in the woods near to where I live. Unlike one of the other places I visit, here there are great carpets of just Ramsons, most have yet to flower but in a few places there are small groups just in bloom.
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Visit Heath McDonald Wildlife Photography
You can see more of my images on my other flickr account Heath's moth page
Moorhens are so common that they are often overlooked as subjects. However, I usually take one or two record shots as a log for reports to iRecord. Sometimes, like this shot from the Causeway hide at Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, the shots are better than records.
After escaping from Portugal I've been keeping myself occupied photographing and recording (iRecord) the bird and insect life in the garden.
This buff-tailed bumblebee queen looking for a nest site was one of three bumblebee species noted. The others were the red-tailed bumblebee and tree bumblebee.
Probably R. litura , as it was in a grass tussock, but with lots of conifers present, chrysomeloides can't be discounted! These have pale hairs, compared to the similar 16-spot larva which has darker hairs: flic.kr/p/2h45FQ5
(genus confirmed on iRecord)
Mortimer Forest - Shropshire
A hoverfly I seem to notice rarely, probably due to my mistaking it for Syrphus. That's what \i did with this one until corrected by Roger Morris through iRecord.
Photographed on the North Wirral coast at Leasowe.
This gold-fringed mason bee was feeding on birds-foot trefoil flowers on the clifftop at Penally.
This is a new bee for me so the ID was based on field guide pictures and therefore subject to change. Initially identified as a hairy-saddled colletes, but a comment in iRecord on another shot led me to re-evaluate this shot and I now have greater confidence in this ID.
A personal plug for iRecord, a site for managing and sharing wildlife records.
"The goal of iRecord is to make it easier for wildlife sightings to be collated, checked by experts and made available to support research and decision-making at local and national levels...
iRecord is being developed by Biodiverse IT and the Biological Records Centre on behalf of the National Biodiversity Network (NBN), through funding from the Big Lottery project OPAL
and the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology."
An invaluable project to support research and environmental conservation.
Find out more at www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/
A great green bush cricket at RSPB Minsmere. Females have an ovipositor looking a bit like a small scimitar at the rear.
I identified this as a speckled bush cricket, but this was corrected to great green bush cricket after expert verification on iRecord.
This is a good time of the year to find this species of shield bug in the long grass and bushes on the mendips and it has almost become an annual ritual to see if I can find feeding individuals. This is quite a common site with them feeding mainly on caterpillars and sawfly larvae, occasionally adult butterflies or moths.
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Wye downs NNR.
IRecord shows this as a Lulworth skipper, but that would be unusual for the location, and the white spots and hooked antenna are distinctive for a large skipper.
A trip to Draycott Sleights this morning to find the Chalkhill Blues, was not disappointed and looks like a very good year for them, though the wind was a bit of a challenge.
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Whilst out last week with the adders, I was also getting a few shots of the local common lizards, plenty of them about but getting a clear shot amongst the low grass and heather took a bit longer, I've lots of shots with a grass blade or twig across the face.
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You can see more of my images on my other flickr account Heath's moth page
I initially identified this bee on the garden grape hyacinths as an ashy mining bee, but on submission to iRecord this was corrected to Melecta albifrons (common mourning bee), distinguished by the white markings on the abdomen (clearer in the slightly out of focus shot used for ID).
This bee is common in southern Britain but has been reported as spreading north. Looks like it has got as far as the Wirral. It is a cleptoparasite of the hairy-footed flower bee which I've seen in the garden a few times.
This large (>1 cm) bright yellow hoverfly certainly attracted my attention as we walked along the coast path at Penally.
I posted this shot because I find it aesthetic, but it is useless for ID purposes. However, I have other shots that clearly show his most notable feature - a large genital capsule - and the antennae segments (see www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/record-details/logged-out?occurrenc...)
A true bug attracted to the Shilbottle ivy hedge. Thanks to Maria Justamond for the ID through iRecord (I'd got it totally wrong!).
Another surprising (to me) feature of London Wetland Centre was the diversity of bees, including at least three species I had never seen before. In particular, there was a large patch of black-eyed Susan flowers that my wife thought I would never leave.
I initially thought this bee was an orange-vented mason bee until I was corrected through iRecord and her true identity (large resin bee) revealed.