The weather has been terrible for a few days, with very heavy rain and strong winds. A few specimens are still coming to light, however, including this rather wonderful red Ichneumonid:
The fact that an Ichneumonid comes to light is quite interesting, since they feed on nectar and parasitise insect larvae, neither of which would usually be found near light sources. I suppose males might be attracted to light if females were to be found there in numbers, but they're not (and female Ichneumonids don't need a male anyway). Interestingly enough, I was sent a picture of what appears to be an identical wasp that was found in a moth trap at the other end of the country. Maybe it's just a hangover from some previous dependency on a moth.
Edit on 14th July 2011. This Ichneumon has now been identified as Ophion luteus.
This Eudonis angustea micromoth is also quite interesting in its own way: I have only ever seen it once before, on 11th September 2007. At that time I thought it was an unusual record, since these are coastal moss-feeders. But a second specimen would indicate that perhaps they are a bit more local than that (I'm about 15 k from the sea).
2 comments:
The weather is lovely here in North Yorkshire Stuart - showers and sunny intervals with a temperature of around twenty, so we can't complain.
Lots of galls on the wild roses this year - far more than I have ever seen before.
Thanks for posting the Micro, stuart.
It fits neatly with a very worn one I had last week, but the left over markings correspond with the E. angustea, which should feel more at home here at the coast, than up at your end of the country.
Then again, somebody might have sprinkled some salt over the local moss.
I have not seen any Ichneumoid Fly (or impressionist of one)at all, this summer. I'd usually see at least 1 or 2 per summer.
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