Thursday Wild

We're assured that brighter and warmer weather is on the way, and the last few days have already started to see in upturn in the numbers of various flying invertebrates that have suddenly found the opportunity to do what they do best and launch themselves into the heavens!

Pick of the moths this morning was this Peppered Moth. This is the moth that many of us learned about when we were at school - the British version of Darwin's Galapagos finches, adapting to the smoke and grime of the cities by getting darker in order to blend into the sooty tree trunks on which it rested. Having cleaned up our act (in this regard, at any rate), most of these moths are now the standard form, like this one from yesterday evening doing it's best to blend into my jeans!!

And this is the hoverfly of the day - the uncommon Sphaerophoria rueppellii, a first for me which I netted from amongst the Sea Lavender on the saltmarsh by the Freshwater Causeway.


Here's a bit of video that I'm adding to the library I'm building up. I must remember to use a brand new tube in future! Other hoverflies included the impressive Volucella zonaria and Helophilus trivittatus.

Several butterflies were on the wing, including this beautiful Holly Blue.

This is the larva of the 14-spot Ladybird. The adults are fairly common, but this is the first time I've come across the larva with its distinctive 'paint-spots'!

And I ought to include a bug....this is a late instar larva of the Forest Bug (Pentatoma rufipes). It's my favourite Shieldbug.