Monday offered up an opportunity to have a wander around the woodland and so with suitable cover I persuaded Annie to join me for some quality grubbing in the sunshine before the weather closed back in.
What followed was the best insect walk either of us have had this year and harked back to the distant days of Insect Afternoon walks where we discovered, not only a wealth of invertebrate life but gained like minded friends in Phil, Mel and Yvonne and were constantly amazed at the sharp eyes of some of the kids who joined us including the immaculately polite Asa who was ace at finding our first colonising Bryony Ladybirds.
It became a bit of a fly fest with a multitude of species lounging around in sheltered sunny spots. Almost everything would have been described as lazy or sluggish but this made getting close with the macro bins much easier for Annie and for me without my camera, the chance to get in with my phone and take a snap.
Blue and Green Bottles abounded and we watched one large Calliphora blowing bubbles and then re-ingesting them. I do not think that there is a firm consensus on why they do this but it sort of looks a bit like they are chewing the cud!
Greenbottle - Lucilia sp
Bluebottle - Calliphora vicina
Amongst the Lucilia Greenbottles were quite a few Neomyia with the shiny green extending to the area behind the eyes and some sneaky bristle counting suggested most seen well were Neomyia cornicina and one was Neomyia viridescens.
Neomyia cornicina
Neomyia viridescens
Imposing Mesembrina meridiana – The Noon Day Fly – were seen basking and nectaring, particularly on the Ivy and they too were seen blowing bubbles. Annie had never seen this before and was over the moon.
The Noon Day Fly - Mesembrina meridiana
The Ivy was alive with the thrum of thousands of Ivy and Honey Bees but with very few Bumbles now but there were plenty of flies too with Volucella zonaria, Eristalis pertinax, tenax, nemorum and intricaria, Episyrphus balteatus, Melanostoma mellinum and Syprhus ribesii.
Ivy Bee - Colletes hedera
Volucella zonaria
Syrphus ribesii
Melanostoma mellinum
However, the Fly of the Day award went to a little pointy snouted beast with yellow body patches and stripy red eyes that appeared in front of me. I knew instinctively what it was but with no idea of the name. Andy Reid had taken some macro shots of what Phil Collins identified as Stomorhina lunata, the Locust Blowfly and here it was sitting in front of us. This is a scarce autumn immigrant from Africa and Phil found the first County record here in 2015 I think.
Stomorhina lunata
Over the next ten minutes we watched two males patrolling the Old Man’s Beard and Ivy in search no doubt of non-existent females. I would have to wait till later to dig out the name of this delightful little fly.
The walk around the rest of the Cordite produced many Mottled Shieldbugs and Dock Leatherbugs along with a single Box Leatherbug and Southern Green Shieldbug instar with red and white spots.
Dock Leatherbug
Box Leatherbug
Mottled Shieldbug instar
Countless Musca autumnalis clustered on leaves and benches but the only Pollenia sp was a solitary golden haired beauty that had no friends to actually be a Cluster Fly with. Spotty Graphomya maculata and paddy footed Flesh Flies were skilfully avoiding the webs of the Garden Orbs and there were more Neomyia to be found on the inside than out while Stomoxys calcitrans thankfully decided that neither of us was worthy of a probe that that amazing drill bit of a drinking straw!
Graphomya maculata
Pollenia sp
A smart little elongated silvergreen fly with red eyes was familiar but I have not got a name yet.
Argyra sp
Stomoxys calcitrans
Tachina fera were still to be found although they were looking a little faded but I did find another super spiky Tachinid that Phil identified for me as Voria ruralis which would be new to me (not that I have a fly list you understand...)
Tachina fera
Voria ruralis
Two Spotted Flycatchers patrolled the Elders for higher flying insects and were scornfully glared at by Annie and surreptitiously admired by me.
Dark Bush Crickets were leisurely slumped across Bramble leaves often with legs at jaunty angles to catch the warmth of the sun and Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters were still hunting although most were showing signs of wear and tear.
Dark Bush Cricket - female
Dark Bush Cricket - male
Migrant Hawker
The time had whizzed by and a radio call sent us back to the ranch passing more of the same on the way back out but with the addition of a rather gravid hoverfly that I am pretty sure was Dasysyrphus tricinctus which was also new to me (and yes I do have a Hoverfly list... but that is different from having a full fly list...honest).
Dasysyrphus tricinctus
I had taken nearly 100 photos on my phone and sorting would take a little while but it was good to be out among the smaller life forms around us in the late autumn air. Hopefully that will not be the last the season has to offer.
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer