Toft New Species

Good to get another new species for my Toft list, the Brown Lacewing Micromus angulatus, living alongside Rhopalus subrufus, a very colourful plant bug, Green Shieldbugs mating, Tortoise Shieldbug, several Hoverfly species, including Baccha elongata, and Hymenoptera.

Toft Churchyard Insects

A few bees and friends from a very windy session at Toft Churchyard. There were mining bees everywhere - Andrena cineraria, the Ashy Mining Bee, males have emerged in very large numbers along with  Andrena flavipes and Andrena scotica. I recorded two species of Nomad bees Nomada goodenia (male and female) and N. flava which parasitise the species of mining bees present at the moment so all fits. Bombus pascorum and Andrena fulva complete the sightings. Good to see two other insects that were here at this time last year - the Pied Shieldbug and Rhingia campestris hoverfly.

First Wildlife Survey in Toft 2024

The present warm temperatures (up to 18 degrees yesterday) have certainly woken up the insects in Toft. Athough the two hoverflies are the same as last year around this time - Episyrphus balteatus and Eristalis tenax - there were lots of different Diptera species, a new bug to me - the Jumping Nettle louse, lots of Ladybirds including another new species, the Pine Ladybird, an interesting Door Snail, three species of spider, and four Hymenoptera including the expected Early Bumblebee - Bombus  pratorum.

Paxton Pits Afternoon walk

Yesterday morning was too wet to do outside work at Paxton Pits so we were undercover putting nest boxes together. In the afternoon, the rain stopped and clouds cleared to give beautiful light for a walk around the reserve. There are hundreds of Gadwall and Widgeon on the Lakes at the moment together with resident Cormorants, Swans and Gulls which provided plenty of activity to photograph. The flies are still active with three species of hoverfly in one small patch together with a Sarcophagid fly on a toadstool.