Mouse Spider query

Another spider query - found this beastie (approx 10mm) on the ceiling in the utility room last night. Not seen one like this before and wondering, with that 'furry' grey abdomen, whether this could be a Mouse Spider (Scotophaeus blackwalli). Aderyn isn't showing many of these near me so would be grateful if anyone could confirm ID.
The grid in the first image is 2mm.

Oak Marble Gall Wasp

A follow-up to my previous post. The Oak Marble Gall that I picked up in the Coryton interchange last week revealed its secret this morning. I found a neat little hole in the gall and a little wasp in the pot. I assume this must be an Oak Marble Gall Wasp - Andricus kollari. (the grid is 2mm). Always wanted to see one of these gall wasps.

Oak Galls

Came across these whilst strolling through the Coryton interchange. I'm fairly sure the first is a Common Spangle oak gall, but is the second an Oak Apple gall or an Oak Marble gall ? Grateful for any guidance on this - it was still attached but fell off when I touched it. There are no exit holes that I can see.

False Widow spider

Saw this on the house wall on Friday night (29 September). Never seen a spider in the garden with this abdominal pattern - could this be Steatoda nobilis (Noble False Widow spider) ?

Lacewing larva ... in disguise ?

Spotted this on some ivy whilst walking up Longwood Drive, near Coryton, this afternoon. At first I thought it was a bit of detritus on the leaf, about the size of a small ladybird, then it moved and I saw the legs. 'Twas a bit breezy but I managed a couple of grab shots before it disappeared. The legs and mandibles can be seen in the first image and the back end of the abdomen in the second. Only thing I can find that looks remotely like this is a lacewing larva  ..... any advance on that?

Ivy Bee in Creigiau

Happy days. After weeks of scanning the ivy in Creigiau, I have finally found a couple of Ivy Bees (Collettes hederae) on the edge of the woods. One seemed to be taking time-out to blow bubbles - I have seen various Calliphora sp doing this, but failed to find a conclusive reason as to why they do it.

Lavernock Point NR 17/09/2107

With a bit of sun in the morning the butterflies where out in abundance, the Red Admirals feeding on either bramble or ivy and the Whites feeding on the devilsbit scabious. Also a few others about, plus for the moths a couple of Siver Y. Plenty of insects about but noted a female Volucella zonaria flying around and sometimes landing near the opening of a wasp nest?

Small Copper - 1         Red Admiral - 21       Comma - 2       Speckled Wood - 9        Small Whites

Painted Lady - 1         Small Tortoiseshell - 2      Large Whites       Silver Y - 2

Scorpion Fly taking lunch

Spotted this in one of the garden flower beds just before lunch today. This female Scorpion Fly is dining on trussed bee (?) courtesy of the spider's web cafe. Every now and then she went into a spin - the reason for this became clear when the web broke and she was able to continue her meal in comfort on a leaf table.

Rove Beetle query

Caught sight of this in the flower beds this afternoon and thought Devil's Coach-horse  but that is all black and this was most-decidedly brown. I am assuming it is one of the Rove Beetles but that is as far as I have been able to go. It is quite a smart little beastie .Grateful for any pointers.

'egg' query

Dead-heading the scabious in the flower beds and found these. Anyone know what could have laid these 'rectangular' eggs in such a neat linear form ? The grid is 2mm.

Lavernock Point NR 06/08/2017

A good day at Lavenock on Sunday with 12 species of butterfly and 2 species of moth with the highlight being a Jersey Tiger.
4 Painted Lady              9 Red Admiral              2 Small Copper                 1 Clouded Yellow   
1 Peacock                    1 Holly Blue                  3 Meadow Brown              Gatekeeper
Large White                  Small White                  Speckled Wood                 Common Blue
2 Six-spot Burnet         1 Jersey Tiger
Alot more in the way of Insects and Odonata (See VC41 D&D)

Roath Park Lake and Woodland Garden 04/08/2017

Looking for ringed gulls on Friday I came across a few insects of interest, a male and female Volucella zonaria, a couple of harvestman: Dicranopalpus ramosus and Leiobunum rotundum. An adult and caterpillar of the Comma butterfly and a Large Red-tailed Bumble Bee mating.

bugs at Maerdy - 29 July

A few bugs identified by Liam Olds at the Maerdy Wildlife Recording Day. Cicadella viridis (female & male), Leptopterna dolabata (with remains of last meal) and Nabis limbatus (2 images).

Also saw this froghopper (?) which I haven't yet managed to identify. Very distinctive colour and markings but ID is eluding me ...

Hoverflies at the castle

After the torrential rain ceased this afternoon, a good variety of hoverflies made an appearance on the Hogweed flowers around the edge of the Castell Coch woodland clearing. These included Volucella pellucens as well as the ubiquitous Episyrphus balteatus, along with both British species of Meliscaeva: M. auricollis and M. cinctella. These appear rather large-winged for the size of their bodies, and differ in the pattern of the yellow markings on their abdomens.

Meliscaeva auricollis

Meliscaeva cinctella