It's been a buggy-themed day again today, which for me started when my colleague, Stu, rescued this gorgeous cockchafer from the window of the gents' toilets. It was quite happy wandering around on my finger for a few minutes before flying into the safety of the oak canopy.
Photo by Stu Precious
Cockchafers are one of largest and most familiar beetles. So familiar, in fact, that they have many different local names, depending on where you live. I've always known them as Maybugs, which is very apt as they are most active in May. Here in Suffolk they are usually known as Billywitches, but you may know them as doodlebugs. The latter no doubt refers to the sound of their wings as they whirr past.
This wasn't the only large beetle that we found today as Hannah later posted a video on Twitter of a great silver diving beetle that had been found with today's school group.
At lunchtime we had reports of a bee swarm at Whin Hill so Chris and I headed out to investigate and found this very impressive swarm of honeybees. They're in a very open location so we expect them to relocate, but please take care in the area.
I carried on through South Belt and found several other interesting bugs, staring with my first cinnabar moth of the year. A cloud of loudly buzzing hoverflies did a very good impression of another bee swarm, then as I passed the Adder Trail, this hairy dragonfly perched up in the open, though unfortunately the angle was a bit awkward for a photo.
Where there were patches of bramble in sunny locations they attracted a good variety of insects including good numbers of azure damselflies.
Among the azures I also saw a few common blue damselflies, but couldn't locate any of the third blue damselfly species, the variable damsel. I did, however, eventually pick out my first blue-tailed damselfly of the year.
Butterflies were out seeking the sun too, with the highlight being this tiny brown argus. I was pleased to have a rare opportunity to photograph the underwing, showing the distinctive patterning that helps to distinguish this butterfly from the slightly larger female common blue.
Better still, it then opened its wings to reveal the brown upperwing with row of orange spots near the edge, and just the merest hint of blue close to the body.
I might not even have found the brown argus had I not been following this lovely shieldbug, which is commonly known as a sloe bug.
Finally, I couldn't resist taking a photo of one of our commonest insects, the seven-spot ladybird.
Of course, many of these insects need a good source of nectar on which to feed, and the fenced area above Bittern Hide (where the rare red-tipped cudweed flowers later in the summer) looks superb as a host of scarlet poppies dance in the breeze.
This is just a small sample of the amazing insects on the reserve. Other highlights over the last couple of days include banded demoiselle near the sluice, the first Crabro peltarius digger wasps on Digger Alley, and green hairstreak butterflies at East Hide and in the car park. Plus, of course, the birds: up to 50 little terns, three little gulls, sanderlings, a fulmar, spoonbill, glossy ibis, and the more typical common and Sandwich terns, Mediterranean gulls, avocets, marsh harriers, bitterns, bearded tits and warblers.