I've not been putting anything on here for some time. It definitely isn't for lack of content as I have quite a massive backlog of photos. The main problem has been that I had a large quantity of identified, titled and edited photos from 2023 and 2024 all ready to go on the blog. Unfortunately I had them on an external hard drive after having to get a new computer. I hadn't backed them up yet and accidently knocked the hard drive off the table while it was running! Exit photos!! I was gutted, my own fault I know. (Back up, back up and back up the back up!) I looked at the professional recovery services but they were very expensive with no guarantee of getting anything back. Fortunately my son was able to recover about 75% of my photos from the original SD cards even though they had all been deleted. I'll be keeping all SD cards from now on instead of reusing them, another lesson learned. Problem was I had to sort and edit and name them all again, which I couldn't face doing for a good while. I also had over 6 years worth of fungi photos identified and put into folders on there. I do have almost all the originals of those on another hard drive but it's going to take an age to redo them!
Anyway I have some highlights from 2023 and 2024 to get on here now and the first is a selection of inverts from the local area, from April and May of 2023.
Firstly:
Bees
Common Mourning Bee - Melecta albifrons
Early Mining Bee (male) - Andrena haemorrhoa
Chocolate Mining Bee (male) - Andrena scotica
Chocolate Mining Bee (female) - Andrena scotica
This Chocolate Mining Bee is what's known as stylopised. The parasitic insect known as Stylops melittae can be seen protruding from the abdomen.
Short-fringed Mining Bee - Andrena dorsata
Black Mining Bee - Andrena pilipes
Mini-miner - Andrena sp.
One of several species of mini-miners which can't be identified from photos.
Hoverflies
Humming Syrphus - Syrphus ribesii
Stripe-backed Fleckwing - Dasysyrphus albostriatus
Common Spotted Field Syrph - Eupeodes luniger
Common Tiger Hoverfly - Heliophilus pendulus
Grey Spotted Boxer - Platycheirus albimanus
Burdock Blacklet - Cheilosia impressa
Bumblebee Blacklet - Cheilosia illustrata
Blotch-winged White Belt - Leucozona lucorum
OTHERS
A Sawfly, Small Yellow girdled Tenthredo - Temthredo temula
A scentless plant bug, Rhopalus subrufus
Black and Red Squash Bug - Corizus hyoscyami
A soft-winged flower beetle strongly associated with Sea Thrift - Psilothrix viridicoeruleus
16 Spot Ladybird - Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata
An Ichneumon Wasp - Ichneumon extensorius
A tiny 3mm long Weevil associated with Dock - Apion frumentarium or as I like to call it the Clanger Weevil! And finally the always impressive...
Green Fairy Longhorn Moth - Adela reaumurella
