Insects and Spiders

I'm not much further north in mid-Suffolk. Last year I didn't see my first (also a large red damselfly) until the first week of June.

A quick search for recent records on iNaturalist and iRecord show that there have been Odondata sightings over the last couple of weeks in your area so it should only be a matter of time. See for example https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/212218569 from 5 days ago

Brilliant - thanks for that!

Nest of Brown-Tail Moth caterpillars on a hawthorn bush in the garden in Kent.

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Big beetle and lots of small beetles. Saw a Green Hairstreak butterfly last week too which was a first for me.

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What's the blue beetle? 🤔

Oil beetle I think?

Yes, not sure which one but this is a useful guide https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2019/08/Oil-Beetle-national-survey-leaflet-for-web_5-species.pdf

The other small ones look like they could be Heather Beetles (Lochmaea suturalis) - see https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/heather-beetle with a distribution map too.

Looks likely, yes, this was in the Peaks.

Didn’t get a photo but also had my first encounter with a woodlouse spider a few weeks back. He was terrifying and having read they can bite I moved him down the road.

Kickin' back

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First moth trapping of the year last night turned up a few nice moths such as this Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica)

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and four Common Cockchafers (Melolontha melolontha)

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Spotted on an Acer in Shepherds Bush:

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Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) now out along the Thames

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24-spot Ladybird (Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata)

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Superb as usual.

Really not a fan of spiders.

That said I have a soft spot for jumping spiders as they are almost like little 8 legged tanks like the one in Ghost in the Shell imo.

So I was quite happy to oblige this little critter jumping around on me this afternoon.

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Found this and a couple of others hiding under a coal bunker lid, not seen anything like this before.

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WTF is that Arachnophobia hybrid?

Looks like a False Widow shagged a Giant House Spider?

A little searching suggests Meta menardi, the European cave spider.

Thanks for that, think the lid has been opened once in the 8yrs we’ve had the house so pretty close to cave like conditions.

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Top Marks, a quick google search appears to back up your answer, the tear shaped egg sacks are also present.

Mrs Ludd not best pleased to have this thing land on her nose just now and cling on with its claws.

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As the Alchemist said.

It's all on your doorstep.

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