Insects and Spiders

Nice photos - particularly like the pond skaters and the last one, a type of robber fly I think.

I'm pretty sure the bees are Ivy Bees (Colletes hederae) AKA Ivy Mining Bee. They nest in dense colonies in sandy ground and loose soil. "males take their opportunity and compete with each other to father the next generation. The contest is fierce with many males attempting to mate with the same female and becoming entangled in what is called a ‘mating ball’. With so many bees nesting in close proximity, the total effect of this frenzied activity can be quite impressive" see - https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/ivyminingbee/

That's spot on about the bees - thanks! It was very sandy soil, and there were some entering burrows.

The pond skaters were in deep shadow, so the iso is quite high, and the images noisy, but I like the way you can see their feet pushing the surface down. I think the camera actually focussed on their reflection, hence a loss of sharpness.

Found this brute of an insect this morning, it's a male Dark Bush Cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera). Legs and antennae just too long to get in frame or focus however hard I tried.

1 Attachment

Oak tree action

1 Attachment

Interloper. Good day for webs.

4 Attachments

You say “good day for webs” but I walked right into the middle of a big fucker earlier today whilst weeding and that is not my idea of a good day.

I’m pro-bugs but I really hate the sensation of getting a face full of spider web.

Saw the biggest moth I’ve ever seen last week on the Isle of Wight. Then saw another the day after just sitting on a path. Anyone have any idea what it is?

Also been blessed with tonnes of hummingbird moths this year. Every time I look out the window can spot a few.

3 Attachments

looks to be a privet hawkmoth

A true sign that the English Rivera is here!

Sorry of global warming.

I took this photo a few weeks ago. Two very large dragonflies, the largest one is eating a bumble bee. Never seen them this big before, was also unaware they ate bees.

1 Attachment

Brutal. Those eyes are incredible.

Cracking photo. My ID book suggest Golden-ringed dragonfly. Landing and eating prey is a common habit with them apparetnly.

Manual focus was not easy on this migrant hawker

2 Attachments

This is amazing.

Can I ask vague location?

On the road about where the red circle is.

Blea Tarn

1 Attachment

Outstanding!!

Life an death in rural Oxfordshire this morning. I found a relatively recently dead fox that was already attracting the attention of some Greenbottles. As I was watching, a large wasp landed on the nose of the fox and started paying close attention to one of the flies. The Greenbottle clearly didn't have a clue what it was up against, sauntered towards the wasp which immediately pounced on it and flew with it to the ground. After a brief struggle, the fly was stung and bitten repeatedly and was dead in less than half a minute - it didn't stand a chance. The wasp is a Field Digger Wasp (Mellinus arvensis) - they are solitary wasps that dig holes in soft sandy soil and stock their nest cavities with adult flies for their larvae to feed on.

1 Attachment

standoff on the nose of the fox

1 Attachment

the coup de grâce

1 Attachment

and something a bit more fragrant from later in the same walk - a hoverfly (Syrpus ribesii) on a Michaelmas daisy

1 Attachment

Lucky timing (for you not the fly!).

A Harlequin Ladybird nymph (Harmonia axyridis) feeding on honeydew on the surface of a leaf from a short walk down by the river this afternoon.

1 Attachment

@macaroon and @Ludd amazing photos of the dragonflies! The flight shots are particularly impressive, so hard to capture those well.

Amazing field stories peeps!

Seeing @macaroon’s amazing picture reminded me of what might be the same species, which we spotted at 52.18595633606921, -4.4192918162168455 or thereabouts

1 Attachment