New Hopper / Confusion

One of the bits I still had in pots to ID from the square turned out to be a new leafhopper for me. I netted a few of these by swiping willow; I was actually swiping the catkins but obviously caught leaves and twiggery in the process. Anyway, it's spot on for Metidiocerus rutilans.

Meanwhile, that Abia sp. sawfly is proving to be a pain in the arse. It has characters that fall between the two species - so not sure which is predominantly correct and how good the key is (Mike Hackston, but I'm relying on feedback from Andrew Green on the sawflies FB group). Unfortunately though, with buggering about with the specimen the antennae fell off and are lost. It has microsculpturing on the mesonotum (top side of thorax), giving it a slightly leathery appearance that is not so shiny - good for Abia aenea. However the mesosternum/mesopleura (underside of thorax) is quite plain between deep punctures and is very shiny - good for Abia lonicera. It should have microsculpturing on both features or not on both features - not a mix! Prior to losing them, the antennae as far as I could make out are also good for female A. aenea (no significant bulge on seg 4).

I can only hope that more of these are munching on my Lycestria this year. I will be keeping an eye out it the hope of emerging adults in the next week or so after this cold snap - more snow flurries today!

More Alluring

I headed out this morning on a whistle-stop tour of a few sites to dangle the Lunar lure. With success - another three sites, albeit in two tetrads. So far it seems that the peak response is within a two-hour window between c9am to midday, with warm sunny days bringing and earlier response and an earlier cessation. Whether I'll get another chance this year I don't know, they may be over by next weekend. I've also avoided heading out to look at a scraggy bone muncher - hurrah!

No moth trap out last night as it was forecast (and did) throw it down in the night, and not much else done today so here's a few snaps while I gather my thoughts.

Conops quadrifasciatus

Eriothrix rufomaculata

Male Beewolf (with a few light drops of drizzle)

Phytocoris ulmi - from the moth trap on Friday night

Another Surprise Finch

Been a busy couple of days, up and down ladders and stairs painting the hallway and landing. Today I did manage to spend some time in the garden though. Late this morning as I sat out on a quick coffee break I nearly spluttered it all over the place as a Greenfinch briefly landed on the fence and then flew off. Yes, a Greenfinch! No camera to hand, and seemed highly unlikely I'd see it again. C'est la vie. Back inside for another few hours of soul-drenching hard graft delightful DIY and I was done for the day. Cameras ready and I grabbed a net. It was mid-afternoon and the sun was beating down by that point. I was being given the complete run around by at least three individual Merodon equestris that refused to settle for a shot and all evaded the net. And then I heard not one, but it sounded like a family party of Greenfinches. I couldn't see them as I got ready with the camera, and then two shot out of the embankment scrub and disappeared. But I could still hear one wheezing and trilling a bit. You may need to turn the volume up and ignore the wind/motoway noise .....

Eventually I could see a fat motionless silhouetted blob in the twiggery, and managed to get a poor shot that I've had to lighten to reveal the glorious green and yellow blob.

Otherwise it seemed that there was more activity than in recent days, though not much was settling. Perhaps the biggest insect surprise came when I nipped back into the kitchen to make another coffee and noticed that a fly buzzing around the window was not your average housefly ...

Tachina fera - a first for the house/garden

Another first for the garden was this, although it is only a sp. for now ...

Altica sp. - almost certainly lythri, but ....

And a couple of firsts for the year ...

Episyrphus balteatus

Green-veined White

Also some good larval news, or at least I am pretty sure that this is what it is.

Early instar Orange-tip on Cuckooflower seed pod

Less good news for one larva. I idly pointed the camera at a Blackbird and when looking at the image noted something hanging off the edge of its beak ..

The Beach

A couple are lying on a beach, alone in the sultry hot sunshine. They are enjoying a cool beer, savouring the moment in silence but for the relaxing sound of the waves. Suddenly, he whispers "I love you" ...

She looks at him, wistfully, and says "Is that you, or is it the beer talking?"

He looks at her, puzzled, and says "It was me. Talking to the beer."