Wonderful wildlife

Self-taught amateur entomologist Sabina George has been snapping super pictures of the creatures you may or may not have noticed in residence on your plots. A keen insect photographer who spends winter recording finds on iRecord (a database for UK Flora & Fauna), Sabina is always looking for new sites to explore and KATA was only too willing to take up her offer of having a looksie at what goes on around us on a sometimes very small scale…

latest sightings

The bees continued in good numbers on sunny days in September, however, only the new Queen bees will survive the winter to start a new nest in Spring. Queens are noticeable bigger like the Buff-tail, Bombus terrestris (1st photo on collage) constantly feeding to build fat reserves needed for winter hibernation. The fluffy ginger Common Carder bee workers still very active. Surprising to find a Sharp-tailed cuckoo bee, a female Coelioxys species as they target Leaf-Cutter bees who ceased activity as soon as the cooler weather set in. Female Coelioxys use the sharp end of their tail to deposit eggs in leaf-cutter bee cells. Not as many hoverflies around as last year. The female Common Banded hoverfly, if orange legs showing (1st photo, 2nd row) can be identified as Syrphus ribesii. You can see why the Footballer hoverfly so named when you spot the stripped 'jersey'. Numbers of 7-spot ladybirds increasing along with Harvestmen. This specimen 2nd row 4th photo, is missing two legs, they can shed them if in danger. Like spiders they have eight legs but a single body segment, no spinning or venom glands which puts them in a separate order of Arachnids. White butterflies ubiquitous this month as are the small Tarnished Plant bugs. Although Tansy flowers are over dozens of Nysius species bugs continue to find some nourishment.

Sabina George

All words courtesy of Sabina George. Thank you for regularly visiting our sites, Sabina, and keeping us up to date on your findings about this vital group of organisms.