![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVeTTkiUvV_nTV6EbEL2Q2VsDcL3sAljcjsxQArCU_tuvEKXxBZhiHHJayOc-7h05UywZgr_bDum6kPWX8PcV7CuowztjpTK8J_FTvEGaF7SYwDaOg18LwCmMegpoAz6VTwx-LDTBUw/s400/dung-fly-tachinid-web.jpg)
I found this dead Cicadella viridis on a grass stem. My eyes were drawn to the open-wing configuration and immediately my fungal radar kicked in. It turns out that several species of the Entomophthora family are parasitic on leafhoppers, so the research continues.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxI4LwBL8oUACGa51aFSzOruf7qDdn3b5u25ffyRL3ElC0zfEPwFuMR0W6ExdBN83gRG4mzskVLZhYM3OiGsSNuAc0rCa8G-PlSaVJ-7ayevMpehNgPgTK8arof9-oMK2Tf1XXtwBCOQ/s400/dead-cicadella-web.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3N5_gbxWtPKPM53dsxA6SAo5jhyphenhyphentk0GCR2OdVzXYRtVkWnOndHBnY9hDFH4R5XpY1LkRstQ68fJo5ML5ky_B7J7H5GgyvZEkRly7405eMXl3D4jZ3mlZQ4ZFCCVRNIKOhCpalSELohA/s400/cicadella-side-web.jpg)
I'm not quite sure what's going on with this Carder Bumblebee. Its baskets are empty, and it is moribund (and wet!). Maybe the hive has run its course for the year.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBqW7idYTp_L-GDsvV3eqii0-2cVmEA7TocSBYGSA9ct_4m4kkRUfevrv0_n7T1Ss6f8Ua8cyNABTuyQzymD6SmZzVJlbLMlFcUH8QKdhLQ0qxL-oSzTaASdf7OgdMCVuyHwOresmtQ/s400/empty-pollen-baskets-web.jpg)
This is Neuroctena anilis, a snail-killing fly. In common with most other parasites, its flight pattern is quite distinctive, with lots of controlled hovering as they search for hosts for their eggs:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56YFkDQGO6CVbDRy9Y9fdM5IVEKoHg_pOQgfKviLH-fvfw_WNZHDHKUet4Ui9IGSRWg2NG-VkdJXR80901DrtH8QhumNANb5srSUnGZQm42oe04zHCjgUN6xdURG2XWbq0N00_HdoWg/s400/tetanocera-web.jpg)
This specimen of Frosted Orange moth is a little early, which is pretty surprising, considering how cold and wet it has been for the past 40 or so days.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVMRQRrmCgkb8lL5fLeGVS0qLJ8rJ1bwLzrrT0C0G6PcJ-rl7BeUMjQV-beZHzDQHbIhS4k8Sb8qo3waWJVHdMGvuSf-cITXN-qPGZC6iJJQMScgzWi5e7h0GQnlWHZAp_eMxw_ApIA/s400/frosted-orange-web.jpg)
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