Southern Marsh Orchids

Southern Marsh Orchids

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

garden visitors

Quite a few interesting visitors to the garden recently, including hedgehogs and common frogs. I see, or hear, the hedgehogs most nights but the frogs are seldom seen, and I have seen at least two individuals.

The wasps appear to be back! I have seen a few individuals but not close enough to identify. However, this stunning Ruby-tailed Wasp appeared on the window this afternoon, the colours were gleaming in the sunshine.

Lots of Honey Bees and Buff-tailed Bumblebees around the flower beds, but recently I have seen regular visits from what I believe to be Megachile sp bees. The images are of two individuals on separate days


This pair of tipulids were seen on the side door into the garage - could they be Nephrotoma flavipalpis?

A couple of bugs seen on some failing Shasta Daisies. Plagiognathus arbustorum and Lygocoris pabulinus (with another P. arbustorum). Not sure of my 'bugs' but fairly confident on the IDs


 This week also saw the return of the leafhoppers that I noticed for the first time last year. I counted 16 Eupteryx decemnotata on the leaves of a single stem of mint yesterday.


A varied selection of species which enrich the garden with their visits.


Posted by at

5 comments:

  1. Mark Evans6 July 2016 at 06:58

    That's a stunning leafhopper, Howard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Howard Burt6 July 2016 at 19:50

      Thanks Mark. These are the first I've seen this year. Last year I managed, with the help of the guys at British Bugs, to identify 3 of these Eupteryx species in the garden. I think these little bugs are generally un-recorded.

      Delete
  2. VC41Moths6 July 2016 at 12:16

    I agree with Neprhotoma flavipalpis. Dave

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Howard Burt6 July 2016 at 19:45

      thanks Dave - that's a new one for the garden.

      Delete
  3. GMT7 July 2016 at 20:14

    The second bee is certainly Megachile (orange pollen brush under abdomen). We have two species in our garden: M. willughbiella (large) and M. centuncularis (smaller). The latter has the pollen brush orange right to the tip of the abdomen, whereas in willughbiella it is dark at the tip. So yours may well be centuncularis, though there are other (rarer) options I think.

    Not sure about the other one.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)