New Life

Another sunny but windy day spend tucked away in the now familiar office. I did pop my head out a couple of times during the day, and spotted a brief fly through Speckled Wood new for the year. I usually get odd ones through the year so hopefully will get a chance with the camera at some point.

Later in the afternoon, I spent a good hour loitering around my current favourite place - the lilac bush which seems to be the epicentre of dipteran sunbathing with the odd brief hymenopteran. Although it's getting a bit samey with several Eristalis pertinax and Epistrophe eligans still holding court and buzzing most other stuff. I managed to point the camera at a few bits but with the wind and sun the ratio of useable shots was low. Added to that, the ratio of fully identifiable stuff was low .....

Calliphora sp. (I think)

Edit: Seth has indicated this is Calliphora vicina based on the pale basicosta, although the front spiracle is not obviously bright. I think that refers to the bits labelled here ....

Thought to be an old male Andrena scotica (per Steven Falk)

Meanwhile, the garden Scarlet Lily Beetles were absolutely taking the piss. Blatantly indulging in threesomes and laying eggs all over me fritillaries ....

Much more pleasing and welcome was this female Orange-tip that had a quick sun-bathe before flitting about and landing on a cuckooflower. Trouble is that was in full sun also so I had to fanny about with the camera exposure to get anything half useable. Haven't looked properly but will check the garden plants for eggs in a couple of days and then ensure Nichola leaves them in situ. Some new life is more welcome than others ....

Otherwise I was desperate enough for images to even look at some moss and lichen .....

Wall-screw Moss

Think this bleached out fragment is Xanthoria parietina