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Infestation of aphids on my Eva Elder (sambucus nigra). Being ‘dealt with’ by Hoverfly larvae. I Counted over 20 hoverfly larvae munching away on the aphids. Confirms my theory that gardeners should encourage hoverflies into the garden. No insecticides needed !
This cute little square-headed wasp does have a very noticeable quadrate or square-shaped head! Adult square-headed wasps in this genus help pollinate our plants as they get sustenance from flower nectar and pollen. However, females catch flies to feed their larvae that are hatched from eggs laid inside a hollow plant stem or rotten log.
A small (Size 3 to 4 mm.) slender fly. The male has a metallic green thorax and scutellum (both are greenish black in females). The humeri may be yellowish. The scutellum bears four yellow spines. The abdomen in both males and females is yellow (discally) and black at the sides and posteriorly. The male has black and tan banded legs. Females have yellow legs with dark tarsi. The clear wings have dark stigma. The habitat is moist or shaded locations with trees. Males sometimes in rapidly moving swarms. Adults are found from June to September. The saproxylic larvae found in decaying wood debris and rot holes of trees.
Feeding frenzy as final instar Peacock larvae (approx. 40 mm in length) devour all before them as they begin to disperse prior to pupation. This was a small fraction of those found in a single bed of nettles in Whistley Wood in Northants (UK) (5882)
This is what i believe to be a lacewing larvae shot at about 6X magnification, sitting on a piece of paper eating a crumb off an Oreo biscuit.
I found it yesterday on my Acer plant but was struggling to photograph it in it's position so i took off a small branch that it was on and took it into my summer room. I was then distracted for 30 minutes by my 6 year old Son and when i came back the Larvae had left the branch and moved about 2 feet to this piece of paper with the biscuit crumbs on. I was amazed to see it actually picking up the crumbs and looked to be eating them.
Bizarre i thought, i should have perhaps made it a cup of tea.
The monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all butterflies.
Monarch larvae appear to feed exclusively on milkweeds in the genus Asclepias and several other genera of viny milkweeds in North America
Featured on Explore 12/01/2008
and an adult pool frog (in the foreground, left) for size comparison. Bull frogs are non-native to the Upper Rhine valley (they come from Northern America). They reproduce extremely successfully and endanger domestic amphibians.
I thought this was a cool angle the way this Monarch larvae was hanging, chomping away on that Milkweed. Butt-end up, head at the bottom if you're wondering. (I find them very hard to tell which end is up.) I'm not seeing near the numbers I had last year this time so I'm not real hopeful for the grand finale of an emerging butterfly, but there's still time.
Peacock | Aglais io | Nymphalidae
Samsung NX1 & Carl Zeiss Jena 'Pancolar' 50mm f/1.8
10mm Macro Tube | Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld
All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.
Posed very cooperatively for me before being returned to the garden - I love those feet! (best viewed large).
Thanks for looking.
Album - Bees, Wasps, Flies and Hoverflies
WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre.
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The Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a medium-sized diving duck known for its striking golden-yellow eyes and the distinctive whistling sound its wings make in flight. They are found across the boreal forests of North America and Eurasia and are a common winter resident in many temperate areas.
Appearance: Adult males have a glossy, iridescent dark green head with a round white patch near the base of the bill, a black back, and white neck, breast, and sides. Females have a chocolate brown head, a mostly gray body, and a black bill that often has a yellow tip during the breeding season.
Size: They typically measure between 40-51 cm (16-20 inches) in length, with a wingspan of around 77-83 cm (30.5-32.5 inches).
Behavior: Goldeneyes are agile, fast-flying ducks that can reach speeds over 40 miles per hour. They are excellent swimmers and divers, using their feet for propulsion underwater and typically feeding in shallow waters less than 13 feet deep. They often forage in synchronized dives within their flocks
Diet: Their diet consists mainly of aquatic invertebrates, such as crustaceans, mollusks, and insect larvae. During the breeding season, insects are their predominant prey, while crustaceans are key during migration and winter. They also consume small fish, fish eggs, and some plant matter.
De kleine zomervlinder (Hemithea aestivaria) is een nachtvlinder uit de familie Geometridae, de spanners, en wordt ook kleine zomermeter genoemd. De vlinder heeft een spanwijdte van 29 tot 34 millimeter. Deze prachtig groene spanner valt meteen op door de geblokte randjes van de vleugels en het lichaam waarvan de eerste helft groen en de tweede helft roodachtig is
De vliegtijd is van mei tot en met augustus. De eieren komen laat in de zomer uit. De rups, die grote gelijkenis vertoont met een dor takje, heeft een grote verscheidenheid aan loofbomen als waardplant. Ze bereiken een lengte van zo'n 23 mm en zijn op zeer veel bomen en struiken te vinden. De halfvolgroeide rups overwintert. In het voorjaar groeien ze verder. Eenmaal volgroeid maken ze een cocon in de voedselplant tussen samengesponnen blaadjes, waarin ze verpoppen.
De kleine zomervlinder is een algemene vlinder in Nederland en België.
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Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria, Wingspan 24-27 mm.
Distinctively shaped, and with chequered fringes, this is an easy species to recognise, but like many green moths, its colour tends to fade fairly quickly.
It flies from dusk onwards, in June and July, around woodland and hedgerows.
Hawthorn (Crataegus), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) and other trees and bushes are the foodplants preferred by the larvae.
This little bug kills other insects and attaches their lifeless corpses to it's back.
I tried over and over to get a good sharp image, but this is good enough to at least show what it looks like.
This little bug kills other insects and attaches their lifeless corpses to it's back.
This is at 2x magnification, but I couldn't get it super sharp since the depth of field is so narrow.
The Blue-headed Vireo offers a pleasing palette of moss green, bluish gray, and greenish yellow, set off by bold white “spectacles” (the eyering plus a “loral” spot next to the bill), throat, and belly. The wings and tail are a sharp black and white. Like most larger vireos, Blue-headed forages for insects and their larvae in trees, moving deliberately along branches, where it can be challenging to spot. Males sing a slow, cheerful carol, often the first indication of the species’ presence in a forest. All About Birds