Pollen and pollinaters

Can you name this Fly? If so, please leave a comment below.




Sunday, the weather was kind for once, yet my back and my neck were hammering down too much, and so I had to stay home unfortunately. Instead, I stuffed myself with fresh fruit with my large fruit salad with I make every Sunday.
I hoped the wind would stay similarly nice the next day, and although the wind was still quite full on to photograph Wild Flowers, I headed off. A few showers had passed and I hoped the dark clouds would look kind on me! As if!
This Knapweed had just opened, the fresh pollen has an attraaction to me as well as to these Insects. The pollen stands out and sparkles really, very hard to capture in photos though.

Althuogh the photos of the Fly weren't that hard in the strengthening wind, this Bee was a bit late, and as you can see, keeping flower and Insect in the same frame was getting harder and more difficult.

So my apologies for quality. What did catch my eye though,was all the white on this Bee. White bands around the abdomen, I do see regularly, but not a Bee with white thorax as well as a white abdomen!. Any ideasto the specie?? Let me know, please! See the comment box underneath this post.




















Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria

Long legs and a couple of flyers too.

If you know any identities of any of these species, could you leave a comment in the white box below, please?

One of the many spiders in the garden. Taking full advantage of the winged critters which get entangled into their webs.



OK, I know; last post featured Spiders too. With all the rain we've had, they are the most prominent among the leaves of the Nettles and Bramble, as they set about repairing and weaving their webs.

Passing the Bramble (with nice juicy black berries at the moment) I spotted this Spider having a big meal out of this Fly, which she had wrapped earlier.)


Garden spider?
Usually it is only the undersides you get to see of Spiders as they sit in their webs.




This scary, yet colourful, Fly was big t 20-222mm. I spotted it in one of the Hebes at the garden at respite, where I was searching for Inects. normally you see very few about the garden, other than houseflies, that is.
It was very orange, which was lovely against the little green leaf of the Hebe. I was surprised to find any Invertebrates there at all; hebes look not very Insect friendly to me! There were some little spiders among the branches also, so there must be food.

While I sat taking photos of Ladybird A, on the right leaf, Ladybird B, here on the left leaf, came running up the stem, around each leaf, until it stopped to catch a breath of Carbon dioxide. (from my breath) not particularly fresh, I'd think!
Anyway, these are two 7-spot Ladybirds, Coccinella 7-puncta
Apparently, the C-7, as the 7 spot is the specie is called also, is the most common Ladybird in Europe.

This Insect, is a stranger to me; it looks as if it is neither hoverfly, nor hopper either. it moves from leaf to leaf with such speed, that i only see it, when it is almost leaving the 2nd leaf, for number 3. Getting a picture was very difficult indeed.
Any ideas as to its identity? I'd really welcome any of these in the comment box, underneath this post.

Spiders in the garden, and Small White Butterfly

If you can help me towards the ID of any of the species in these photographs, can you leave a comment in the comment box below, please?

Repairing some of the damage, caused by the rain. I love those eyes!


I like Spiders, and in fact I like Insects, and Invertebrates. They are intriguing, and I'm amazed at the intricate way they manage to walk. Quite a feat in the eye of a non-walking photographing observer. Once you point the macro-lens onto them, another, more detailed, Spider emerges through the camera and their little faces always make me smile.

And after so much rain recently, it is fun to go outside where web spinning Spiders are busy reparing or, weaving new, webs.
Iam still looking for a European ID website, featuring our UK/Irish Spiders.
This one I captured yesterday.




Now, arethose long fore legs the same as those ofthis one?



Looking from above, it was in an awkward position to photograph, as it was right in the "palm" of the leaf (Bindweed) As you can see, these long front legs do stand out.

The Common Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus is present in most gardens, and in this one alone I got three that I know off.
Some trapeze artist this is!



Sometimes, you'd see long legs onto a wall , a Spider basking in the Sun, or trying to get indoors. Well, this one was also pasted flat in my kitchen doorway.
As I had my lens on the camera, because I had been capturing the female Ants, after they emerged for the flight of their lives. So I did try to get a proper look at it, but this is the best I could manage.
(I had this picture rotated to landscape so you could see the face more detailed, but Blogger does again rotate my photos.
Anyone else having similar problems with uploading their photos?
Anyway, it does look like a very crinkly affair with quite big weaponry up front.






As a kid I had to remove Spiders from the shed so my sister could get her bike out. For my mum I had to remove Flip-flaps (Moths) from her bedroom or any other room. She would panic at the sight of one yet I love Moths and really like Spiders too. Not the big black ones, mind.
Wonder who has created this artwork before the rain and covering the Blackberries. Smart move as the berries must attract a fair few Insects.






At last a few more familiar and less spindly characters of the garden:
Hoverfly.



Red Clover, Trifolium pratense


This Small White, Pieris rapae, came fluttering through the garden, outside my window. I think that the yellow flowered plant, growing in the planter, is a Brassica. I see lots of Small Whites here, and Red Admirals. Small Tortoiseshells too, although less than last year.




Nettle too, is a major attraction in this garden. Bramble they like also. (at least here they do)



Scarlet Pimpernel, Annagallis arvensis


??