Sunday 6 October 2013

Sunday 6th. October 2013

A catch up on a few outings which produced some interest included ,
a pair of Robber-flies / Asilidae sp. , who were making the most of the sunshine on the 5 bar gate at the entrance to Burnt Gorse ,when I did the last full butterfly transect of the year . The transect only produced 10 butterflies from 4 species .
One of which was this Brimstone male topping up on nectar from Red Clover .
Below the Orchid Bank , I found several Magpie Fungus / Coprinus picaceus , some specimens were newly emerged like this one , but some had already gone over .
A hastily arranged trip with the two Keiths to Kingsdown Leas in the hope of seeing the Long-tailed Blues , failed after spending 6 hours searching and not a single sighting . The steps up onto the Leas did produce a Bloody-nosed Beetle / Timarcha tenebricosa , normally a night-time feeder , so called as when threatened , has the ability to squirt foul smelling red/orange liquid at it's enemy from it's mouth .
Amongst the grass on the cliff-top , four Wasp Spiders , three of them guarding their egg sacks , which look like a miniature hot-air balloon suspended by webs , like the one pictured .
Catching up on the shots of the Oare Marsh trip for the Spotted Crake , found one of the Spotted Redshank (right) seen in company with one of the Ruffs .
Down the garden , I came across this large female Ichneumon sp. , with an incredible ovipositor . She searched all the holes and cracks in this trellis support , constantly quivering , making photography difficult . Could be Rhyssa persuasoria , but I'm not sure as it lacks any white spots .
Eventually , she raised her abdomen and lowered her ovipositor into the selected area , assumingly laying her egg on a host , which when hatched , would eat it's host , nice . It appears that thicker appendages , being the two filaments pointing towards 2o/clock in the shot above , are protection for the very fine ovipositor , which I read can drill into wood to leave it's offspring's meal .
When she was finished , I managed to catch her and got a size comparison shot with this 35mm. film canister lid .
In today's sunshine , I went looking for newly born Adders , but only found 3 males and a single female , two males pictured , all soaking up the late Autumnal sun .
The 35mm. film canister was useful again to show the size of this fungi found , a Boletus sp. 
A quick stop on the Common found for butterflies on the wing , this Peacock , a Large and Small White , and a Speckled Wood ,
and this insect which I suspect is a Sawfly , with white banded antennae and orange and white banded legs . Any help with the ID would be appreciated .

3 comments:

Ken. said...

Greenie.
Good to see you finally caught up with the Spotted Crake. Nice variety of wildlife photo's
The closest I can find out about your sawfly is:
(1)http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tenthredo.livida.-.lindsey.jpg
(2) http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/tenthredo-livida
OR
(3) Sawfly%20%28Tenthredo%20livida%29%20female%20Donkey%20Lane%20Sapcote%20%20SP%204858%209298%20%28taken%2023.5.2009%29[1]

Not good on insects that is why I have added 3 possibilities, probably something diferent.

Warren Baker said...

Hi greenie,
You always manage to find those Brimstones perched up nicely! Not to mention the Adders.

Marianne said...

Lots of interest there, the Adders in sunshine look magnificent, as do the late-summer butterflies. Sorry you had no luck with the Long-tailed Blues. I am astounded by that ichneumon and her appendage, I'm sure it reaches the parts that other ovipositors can't!