Insects and Spiders

What a fascinating just discovered thread….

Saw this great female hoverfly the other weekend (Chrysotoxum bicinctum). Not too much is known of their ecology but their larvae are thought to feed on aphids that are reared by ants within their colonies for their honeydew.

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their larvae are thought to feed on aphids that are reared by ants within their colonies for their honeydew.

This is great!!

There's some interesting comments in this recent paper https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/6-321#ref-15

It is not known how the hoverfly larvae avoid predation by the ants
who are usually highly protective of their root aphid charges.
Potential avenues of research include pheromone mimicry of the aphids
by the hoverfly larvae, or simple armour to negate the attacks of the
ants.

Anyone able to id this moth for me? I can't find anything via any online site. It was quite small. On a leaf in the daytime but not active.

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Looks like a Toadflax Brocade (Calophasia lunula)
https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/calophasia-lunula/
Quite a restricted distribution so a nice spot.
https://easymap.nbnatlas.org/EasyMap?tvk=NBNSYS0000006316&w=400&b0fill=39B0D5

Funny I don't remember that double wasp sting at all. The one the sticks was the bumble bee that was quietly resting in my shoe, got pretty angry at being squashed by a foot, got stuck on its back somehow tangled in my sock and couldn't right itself. Of course I flipped it over so it could fly away. It was still stuck unable to move so stung me on top of my foot. Incredible pain for a few minutes followed by being really itchy for days. Far worse than any wasp.

Still no super powers.

Butterflies have been amazing this summer. But moths and beetles too. Rose chafer and jersey tiger moth from this evening.

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Yeah, that is definitely it thanks. My lack of garden tidying seems to paying of this year!

No worries - it's a nice spot. We've done a No Mow Summer (not just No Mow May) this year. We only have a v small garden but definitely noticed a difference in insect/bird/and hedgehog(!) life.

Likewise no mow here, more insects but also more places for the cats to hide while trying to eat the insects.

Found an adult mantis this time (found, lol, I actually disturbed it by pissing on it whilst taking a cheeky bush wee). Unfortunately, I only had my phone on me and across the course of around 30 photos it only managed to focus on the correct item a couple of times and even then not super well, but whatever.

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Found one of these noisy buggers at last

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Immense. And good work: don’t know how long I have spent fruitlessly trying to trace the source of that racket.

Very nice indeed - I've never been able to track one down either. Google suggest it's an Ash Cicada ( Cicada orni) https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/243961-Cicada-orni

I’ve been training the family to spot them

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There's loud and then there's loud. 😁

https://youtu.be/ROszYfb5M7k

And more stuff - a spotted fritillary, a two-tailed pasha and a giant robber fly

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Great photos - I particularly like the Robber Fly!

A couple of phone pics. The centipede looks like Lithobius forficatus to google.

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That's not a centipede...

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When I was about 12 I sat in an old tree waiting for a friend and idly kicked at some dead wood. The wasps who considered the dead wood 'home' were none too pleased and I was stung about twenty times, mainly on my head. It hurt a lot, but I got stung by another messing about the next summer and had almost no reaction at all. I haven't been able to bring myself to test the immune theory further in recent decades but I do wonder...

LOL.

You wouldn't want one of those snuggling up to you in your sleep!

Feckin massive beetle of some sort. Didn’t seem to be faring too well in 35 degree heat so gave it a drink of water - seemed a lot more mobile afterwards, so going to claim that as my good deed for the day.

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