A New Ladybird for My Records

I was on a dragonfly and damselfly quest last Sunday afternoon when my attention was diverted by this ladybird. It was so tiny that I needed the magnification provided by the lens of my camera to convince me that it really was a ladybird. 

I have seen a lot of ladybirds over the years and have submitted many sightings to the UK Ladybird Survey, but I believe this beige and black 16-spot (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata) was a first of its kind for me. It often eats pollen and favours damp grassy landscapes. It is not averse to aphids. 

This is just a quick post, but it would be fun at some point to gather my photos of the different species I have encountered. 

There have been very few ladybirds in evidence in my neck of the woods this year. It would be interesting to know if you have had more sightings ...

 

Damselflies at Last

 

 

We seem to be entering 'damselfly season' at long last in my corner of Suffolk, UK. We spotted several Large Red Damselflies and one or two others in the grounds at Helmingham Hall. 

 

Helmingham Hall and moat

Not a Large Red ...

... but very well camouflaged.

 

Alder fly

I only see these strange flies with their veined wings on rare occasions, usually in watery locations, and I usually have to remind myself what they are. 

 

Bridge and parkland beyond

 

We don't see Wagtails (of any variety) very often in our neck of the woods so it was a particular joy to see these two.

 

The warm temperatures we experienced from time to time over the weekend made us feel that at last we were entering a late phase of spring. Today the heat has gone out of the sun once again, and although the sky has patches of blue, there is still a chilly northerly wind. It was a joy to see practically our first damsels of the year, but we had to look very hard to count a total of six butterflies at Helmingham, all skittish Orange Tips.

Damsels, Dragons and Painted Ladies at Helmingham Hall

 

We visited the gardens at Helmingham Hall last weekend in the hope that we might be some early 'dragons' or 'damsels' around the moat. As you can see, the walled garden was looking very beautiful. 

We were thrilled to see our first Painted Ladies of the season, and since then we have had one in the garden at home. 

And yes! There were damselflies, many of them Large Reds like the one in the photo. 

We saw a couple of these Broad-bodied Chasers. The males are blue, but females and immature ones are a shimmering gold. 

Insects in the Grounds of Helmingham Hall

I seem to have been chasing my tail a bit recently, so here are a few pretty pictures of Helmingham Hall and the insects in the grounds. You may have seen the hall on the Antiques Roadshow recently or perhaps on a previous Who do you think you are? programme. I tried to keep a casual eye open for bees on flower heads as we strolled around, particularly in the walled garden. But we saw some other insects, too ...

I think the creature above is a Variable Damselfly and the one below is an immature Large Red.

The moat makes an ideal environment for odonata.

Inside the walled garden we smiled at the topiary rabbits ...

and a frog prince!

It was good to see a few Meadow Browns, my first of the season.

I'm wondering if these were leaf or Flea Beeetles of some variety, possibly Crepidodera aurata. 

We noticed a couple of Broad-bodied Chasers on the vertical posts.

The next few photos show bees I noticed on the flower heads ...

This bee favoured a beautiful Delphinium.

You can see David here by the knot garden, with this fragrant patch of lavender and old-fashioned roses just in front of him. Despite the grey weather, the scent was one of pure summer!

More Moths . . .

I posted a piece last week about moths. I mentioned the Hummingbird Hawk-moth (I shall follow the UK Moths site spelling), and how I had seen a number in Greece but hardly any in the UK. Serendipidously we were sheltering from the rain this last weekend in the grounds of Helmingham Hall when what should catch my attention but ... a Hummingbird Hawk-moth, nectaring on a Buddleia bush. I apologise for the quality of the photograph: these insects rarely stay still, but they are wonderful to watch.

David was just leaving for work this morning when he noticed the moth in the photo above on the Buddleia adjacent to our drive. I think it may be a Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis). 
 

And finally, a handsome caterpillar!

I have been meaning to post this photo for some time. We came across the caterpillar earlier this summer on a sandy track on NT Dunwich Heath. It is an Emperor Moth larva (Saturnia pavonia), possibly 5th instar - and I would love to see the adult. The males fly about during the day.

Does anyone know whether the 'pavonia' bit of the name refers to the peacock-like eyes on the adult's wings?

Odonata (8): More Damselflies

Unidentified Damselfly: brown band at S9

These were both seen at Helmingham Hall in Suffolk some days ago.

Possibly a female Azure Damselfly?

Eye-catching Insects (12): Green Lacewing

Chrysopa perla | Green Lacewing

I couldn't resist photographing this little creature. It was enjoying the nectar from a lupin. For a close-up view of the head of these insects, you might like to click here. Like Ladybirds, these Lacewings feed on aphids. You can read more about them on Ray Wilson's site here. I saw the one above in the middle of the afternoon, but Lacewings are often active at night.

Ladybird Alert (12): 7-Spot with eggs at Helmingham

We enjoyed a summer stroll (during a brief break in the clouds) around Helmingham Hall gardens. During our visit, we kept an eye out for Ladybirds, and soon came across the 7-Spot in the walled flower garden. At first I feared it had fallen victim to the parasitoid wasp, Dinocampus coccinellae, that causes paralysis, as there was something underneath the body of the insect, but we looked again, and found that the yellow 'thing' was in fact a batch of five eggs.

5 Ladybird eggs ...

... and soon there were 6 ...

... and then some minutes later, 11 ...

... followed by a 12th ...

... and finally a 13th egg, at which point the Ladybird walked off.

The egg laying took place over a matter of minutes, although we don't know when the first few appeared. The eggs should hatch in 3-10 days, allowing the larvae to emerge. I'm wondering why this Ladybird chose a piece of exposed masonry rather than the secluded underside of a leaf. There is quite a good photo (better than mine!) of Ladybird eggs here.

I'm just off to record my sighting on the UK Ladybird Survey ...

Helmingham Hall

Arachnida (2): Green Orb Spider, female

I was delighted to find what I think must be a female Green Orb Arianella spider, having encountered the more rotund male for the first time some days ago. Both were spotted in Suffolk.

Do take a look at this remarkable photo of one preparing her egg case here.

Arachnida (1): Green Orb Spider

This Green Orb Spider (Arianella) was scuttling about on its bush. Its abdomen looked like a round psychedelic-green bead, but as you can see, there are lines of black spot markings. There is often a red dot on the spinnerets on the underside.

When it comes to spiders and web-spinning, I thought the "click next to begin" sequence here was very helpful in a visual way.

Odonata (7): Damselflies

My 2012 Damselfly-spotting season got off to a very slow start, but things are picking up a little. I think the picture above shows a male Blue-tailed Damselfly, judging by the photo here. I have also checked the British Dragonfly Society site. 

I am wondering if the damselfly above is a female Azure Damselfly. It may not be, as although the black markings are clearly defined, the other areas look more grey to me than pale green or blue. It could, perhaps, be a female Common Blue. As ever, if you are reading this blog, and can give an ID, that would be much appreciated. Apparently these females can be particularly tricky to identify! 

I am fairly sure that the Damselfly above and the two below are examples of the male Common Blue. These were all enjoying the Suffolk sunshine and calmer conditions after the stormy winds last week that caused second day of the Suffolk Show to be cancelled.

It would be interesting to know what Damselfly guides folk find helpful. This is the one I use, in conjunction with the images and write-ups on the web. It is a Natural History Museum publication, and is in a convenient format. I also use the Guide to Ladybirds of the British Isles in the same series.