nature in abstract - part 1

a post I will be adding to..

 

 

A bite or two..

Last summer was so disappointing on the insect front what with the wet and windy weather. This year I am determined to find the insects and in doing so have been bitten repeatedly by flies ( saw flies I presume). They land and settle long enough to draw beads of blood and the bites then swell to the size of 50 pence pieces. I remain undeterred ....

Common Green Capsid Lygocoris pabulinus, a herbivorous bug

Miris striatus, a mirid bug feeding partly on young leaves but also small caterpillars and soft bodied flies

a lady bird larva, in abundance this year, these like the adults are carnivorous

The Cinnabar moth caterpillar

 

this is a first this year, a female Oedemara nobelis beetle

one of 400 species of saw fly in the UK

an ichneumon, characterised by antennae of at least 16 small segments

 

the Five- Spot Burnet

I have given this moth it's own post as I wanted to give some space to demonstrating it's feeding. This day-flying moth is sluggish and easy to approach, hence sitting still long enough for me to try and capture it's movements. They have little to fear from birds or other predators as their bodies contain cyanide. The cyanide seeps from the joints on the legs and thorax if the moth is persistently attacked.

 

 

the proboscis is just visible here and ready to unfurl. The proboscis is a slender tubular structure that acts like a straw through which the moth drinks it's food.It has a sharp beak like tip for reaching into flowers for nectar or piercing fruit.