Insects and Spiders

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Flies down by the river last night

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On TNRCs on the way back along the canals (probably Killing Me Softlea route) I remember seeing spiderwebs along where spiders were building webs on webs on webs and teeming mass of spiders crawling all over each other. It was like arachnidinception and haunts my dreams to this day.

But gorgeous pics everyone.

Anyone have any idea what this is?

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It’s a slime mould.
False puffball.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enteridium_lycoperdon

Awesome, thanks for the info.

Just googled and you're right. Cinnabar moths look very different, turns out I've been seeing scarlet tigers for a while and calling them cinnabars. The shame!

Ha no worries, I find I get cinnabar and 5 spot burnets confused all the time. I’m also terrible at entomology despite spending a lot of time riverside as a hobby and also working with insects. Constantly put to shame by our tech who is an insect wizard.

Think I disturbed an ants' nest when taking the fake grass out of our garden

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That, or spilt your Rice Krispies…

Got home from the pub last night to find a fucking cockroach sitting happily in my kitchen sink.

Am hoping that it came from outside rather than me having an infestation. The back garden (I'm first floor flat and have no access) is a proper state of overgrown bamboo, some of it rotting after a half-arsed attempt at clearing it a few months ago. There's occasionally a noticeable but faint mulchy smell coming up through the kitchen sink

Before I go making accusations and demanding action, anyone know how likely it is that the garden's the source? Didn't make any attempt to identify the species, but a quick google suggests the American cockroach tends to live in this sort of environment.

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London's built on Rats n Cockroaches no? :o)

That's not just the people!

The ants have now moved all the larvae. Not quite sure where to ...

Escamoles, they’re a delicacy in Mexican cuisine. Fry them with a bit of nice, mild oil (avocado is ideal), and eat with a squeeze of lime juice and shake of salt on a warm tortilla.

Have you tried it?

Loads of scarlet tigers in the garden today

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I have, it’s delicious. Not sure if it’s a specific type of ant.

Found the specific species: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liometopum_apiculatum Also discovered that many species of ant are eaten in their larval stage around the world. I might take a punt soon and try to fry a tablespoon of local ant eggs.

The taste of escamoles is difficult to describe, but I haven’t met someone who has disliked the way they taste. Fried they taste slightly sweet, slightly umami, flavourful but not overpowering, a ‘full’ taste like cooked meat has but it’s not meaty, leaves a light pleasant taste in the mouth. No taste of earth, curiously. They feel like cooked beans.

Stumbled across a little beetle orgy, the dirty buggers

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Not exactly demonisation but I came across a weird bit of tabloid arachnid hype when googling these clusters of yellow back spiders all over my tomato plants.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/nature/583321/Clusters-yellow-spiders-spotted-Britain/amp

Must admit I’m getting a bit tired of de-spidering myself every time I go in the greenhouse, I’d hoped they’d eat more aphid than they do.

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Your spiders are tiny.
Their appetites will pick up.

Ha, that pic was nearly two months ago, currently little fingernail size.

Also loving the photography here, inspiring stuff.

I went down to the woods today ... with the specific intention of taking some photos of insects. Most photogenic was this beauty, a female Volucella zonaria, the UKs largest hoverfly and noted hornet mimic.

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btw, you can sex a hoverfly by looking at the eyes. Most females have their eyes separated.

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