All about Insects 2017

Better late than never, I'm just starting this off with this little beetle that came in from the cold recently, I don't know what it is yet

I think it may have been injured when I scraped it off my neck!!

THIS is a link to old thread.

  • I photo'd a couple of Speckled Woods yesterday and didn't realise until I looked at them later that they were different colours. One with white markings...

    And one with buff markings...

    I was interested to know if there was a reason, thinking M/F. It turns out not to be gender, but there's a slight geographical difference within the species, with Northerners having white markings and Southerners having buff markings. Never knew that! Since they were photographed within a few feet of each other I guess one is a little off-course or there's a large overlap.

    I didn't do as well as others, but I was pleased to see my see my first dragon- / damselflies of the year.

    I'm even less knowledgeable about these than butterflies and even having looked it up, I find it very difficult to differentiate between what I think are the most likely candidates: Azure Damselfly or Common Blue. I think it might be an Azure (thin blue line with black spur on thorax?), but comments/corrections from more knowledgeable people are welcome.

  • Beautiful Holly Blue Hazy, I rarely get to see a top-side on them!

    Good to see your Speckled woods Nigel, we get the real Sothern one's here

    Not sure on your damsel without looking it up, & no time now, perhaps TJ can help?

  • Looks like a Azure to me Nigel

    Jim

  • These Mason Bees must have emerged this morning the nest looks empty and there was a lot of mating going on.

    Jim

  • Unknown said:
    I'm even less knowledgeable about these than butterflies and even having looked it up, I find it very difficult to differentiate between what I think are the most likely candidates: Azure Damselfly or Common Blue. I think it might be an Azure (thin blue line with black spur on thorax?), but comments/corrections from more knowledgeable people are welcome.

    Excellent photo of the damsel, Nigel. I think you are right about it being an Azure Damselfly. I'm still a novice on these critters but with the help of RoyW and others I have made progress. As far as I understand it the Azure can be distinguished from the Common by the blue shoulder stripes being narrower than the black lines below them. It also has a coenagrion spur on the thorax, which you correctly spotted, which is absent on the Common.

    This is where photos are so helpful because it's very difficult (for me at anyrate) to see the subtle differences in the field when these insects are so small. I quite enjoy the challenge of trying to identify them but don't always get it right. They make a good alternative in the late summer when birds are hard to see.

  • Thanks for the extra detail Tony. I originally had it down as an Azure, possibly more by luck than judgement, then started having second thoughts, then went back to the original idea! There's no way I can identify those tiny differences in the field, either, but lovely to watch and, as you say, a different challenge.

  • Green-veined White (male). I got a look of the top of it before I took the photo. :-)

  • Tiger moth caterpillar.

    Jim