On May 14th last year we went for a day on Salcombe Beach which is to the immediate east of Sidmouth. I usually visit here earlier in the year to look for early Wood White butterflies. They were bound to be on the wing by May and hopefully plenty of other insects too! I had a lovely surprise, finding and photographing Long-horned Bee. I'd only seen them once before at Eype Mouth in Dorset.
The beach looking west towards Sidmouth
Dingy Skipper - Erynnis tages
Wood White - Leptidea sinapis
Dark-edged Bee-fly -Bombylius major
There was a lot of Red Valarian growing on the cliffs which proved extremely popular with bees and flies and whilst I was photographing this Bee-fly I spotted the Long-horned Bees. I then spent ages trying to get a photo, something I'd failed at on my previous sighting in Dorset (they're very quick!). Determination paid off though.
Long-horned Bee - Eucera longicornis
I've only ever seen this species on the Axmouth undercliffs and only ever females.
The males are distinctive in that the ends of their antennae are curled in as can been seen here.
A Mason Wasp - Ancistrocerus sp.
Five-spotted Club-horned Wasp - Sapyga quinquepunctata
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