New Species -Chocolate Mining Bee

I found two dead bees in the guest bathroom - I guess they must have entered through the fan opening. I managed to takes some photos using the USB microscope which allowed them to be identified as the Chocolate Mining Bee (Andrena scotica). Another one for the Bee List which is now 28 species long.

Green Woodpecker - up close

Feasting on ants outside the kitchen window. What brilliant colours this bird has.....

Twayblade

We had a single Twayblade last year, a surprise appearance after nine years here and so I have been looking for it this year in our West Field without success so far. I was however astonished to find a Twayblade yesterday in our East Field right on the footpath and looking pretty trampled. I hope it survives OK and if the other one reappears I shall be doing some hand pollinating!

Common Blues

This year's crop have just started appearing and I am hoping they will continue showing an increase year on year. I spotted a pair mating yesterday but by the time I got back with the camera there was just the male there (photo above). There are small differences in the patterns of the wing undersides that allow gender to be determined.

Small Tortoiseshells

There have always been some Tortoiseshells around but I didn't see many adults or any caterpillars last year so I was pleased to find a swarm of caterpillars today on the Nettles in my veggie patch. Hopefully that will translate into more adults later this summer and a return to better numbers of this species.

New Species - Common Groundhopper

A new Orthopteran! The downstairs door was open for a while and later I saw what appeared to be a tiny jumping insect. Closer examination revealed a creature like a small grasshopper and it turned out to be something called a Groundhopper, a Common Groundhopper ( Tetrix undulata) to be precise. I had never heard of these insects.

New Species - St Marks Fly

There have been a lot of these strange looking flies around with their dangly legs and long segmented bodies. It turns out they are St Marks Flies (Bibio marci) and they are called St Marks flies because they appear around St Marks Day (25 April - who knew?). I can't say I have ever spotted them before this year.