INSECTS

INSECTS - INCLUDING MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES

Here I start off with the smallest insect I could photograph, the tiny ant. It ran so quickly it was quite difficult, however I persevered and managed to catch it while running across the path. The ant that is, not me, although I was in hot pursuit behind it!!

Here is its bigger relation!

After hearing the chirp of the grasshopper I grabbed my camera to take a picture. It then stopped chirping and I could not see it anywhere. There I was, camera in hand awaiting the next chirp. When it did start again, ears were tuned in this time. I traced the sound to the flag stones by the pond. How obliging this grass hopper was.

This one below has his beady eye on me!

Below is a young Katydid. Distinguished from grasshoppers by having very long antennae, whereas the grasshoppers is short. (Click to enlarge)

Little pollen beetles are attracted to yellow flowers.

Other small beetles are the weevil, a red (seven spotted) ladybird a yellow and a harlequin ladybird.

Below are the lava of the ladybird at various stages of growth.

Large and small ground beetles.

Cockchafer beetle. (Click to enlarge) Holes in my lily leaves! here is the culprit.

Their grubs are covered by a black substance.

(The Lilly beetle).

A lovely shiny body on this one. Such tiny beetles here, only 4mm in length.

Known as bugs are the capsid bug and the common green shield bug shown below.

The male flower beetle, such a beautiful metallic green in colour.

A rather nasty looking insect here with red legs and a sting in its tail? I have now found out, it is not a sting but an egg laying tube, as the insect is a parasitic solitary wasp. Called an Ichneumon Wasp.

Just look at the pinchers on this earwig.

The following insects are so colourful, although I do not profess to know the names of them all.

The frog hopper above, touch his tail and see him hop.

The lace wing fly.

Others have the warning colours of the wasp although they are quite harmless. Most of them are of the hover fly group.

A tiny red mite on the back of this one.

Now here below is the wasp, only a small one but big enough for me!!!!!!!!!!!!

I now come onto other flying insects. Some not as spectacular in colouring as the ones above, for instance the plain brown fly. However, as you see, the house flies and the bluebottle that invade our homes in summer have quite distinctive colourings.

A large horse fly, this can give a nasty bite.

These tiny flies have settled on the straw flower.

The crane fly above hatches from the leatherjacket grub. Like a flying spider with it's long spindly legs. (Click to Enlarge, note the length of the legs!)

Here we see the tiny sap sucking greenfly and blackfly. These insects can distort the growth of the plants Luckily the ladybirds and their lava also enjoy them as a meal and the lava can consume 300 greenfly before they pupate. Therefore, nature has its own way of keeping them under control.

One of my favourite insects, the bee. Such a variety, including the Carder bumblebee, Red-tailed bumblebee and the honey bee.

(Click above to enlarge)

Note the full pollen sacks on this bee as it heads into the flower.

Another loaded with pollen from the Azalea.

(Click to enlarge)

Click on the bee below and see his big eyes.

Click above to see detail of bee in flight.

Is this a baby bee or is it just small? Notice its yellow underbelly.

One of the most beautiful and graceful of insects is the butterfly, as it flutters from one plant to another. Such a shame it is so short lived. Only looking for somewhere to lay its eggs.