Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Insects (assorted) Page 5

Image Taken on 25 Jul 2009 at 11:20 Image of day on 29 Aug 2009

5 minutes later released on to a thistle flower it had a quick feed on that and then moved to a clump of Great Willow Herb & spent several minutes sampling the many flowers.

Ref: 20090829_db1_20090725_1120_211 bumble bee on great willow herb flower (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Mar 2009 at 13:08 Image of day on 03 Apr 2009

Harbinger of Spring 1 - a bumblebee visiting the flowers - in this case pussy-willow.

Ref: 20090403_db1_20090315_1308_023 bumble bee on pussy willow flower(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 12 Jul 2006 at 16:57 Image of day on 18 Jul 2006

We have to limit thistles because they are so invasive, but allow patches to grow but stop them seeding. This bumble bee is covered in specks of pollen.

Ref: 20060718_d60_20060712_1657_666 bumble bee on thistle flower(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 05 Nov 2005

An 'inherited' 15 year old yellow Buddleia provides food for Bees, butterflies etc. well into the autumn.

Ref: 20051105_p20_1040329 bumble bee on yellow buddleia (head view) 2005nov01_12-27-20(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 14 May 2025 at 12:57 Image of day on 27 Jun 2025

Here we see a Bumble Bee systematically visiting the flowers of a Yellow Flag Iris adorning the main pond. This Bumble Bee has to 'back out' of each flower. Smaller Bees can squeeze out of the side.

Ref: 20250627_r70_20250514_1257_174-202 bumble bee visiting 2 yellow flag iris nectaries 01+03+05+07+12+15 of 15 ((montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 14 May 2025 at 12:57 Image of day on 27 Jun 2025

Ref: 20250627_r70_20250514_1257_186 bumble bee visiting 2 yellow flag iris nectaries 06 of 15 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 11 Jun 2013 at 12:55 Image of day on 23 Jul 2013

Green Alkanet is a magnet for what bees there are. This bumble-bee spent at least several minutes crawling around the flowers. We didn't notice a second visitor until we processed the image - some sort of fly on the lower left flower.

Ref: 20130723_a77_20130611_1255_038 bumble-bee (bombus lucorum (q)) & unident fly on green alkanet flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Jun 2013 at 12:35 Image of day on 29 Jul 2013

Green Alkanet is very attractive to many insects. This is an atypically small species of Bumble-bee without a common name, here caught hovering at a flower.

Ref: 20130729_df1_20130615_1235_047 bumble-bee (bombus pratorum (q)) hovering at green alkanet flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Jun 2013 at 12:34 Image of day on 29 Jul 2013

Green Alkanet is very attractive to many insects. This is a largish Bumble-bee on a flower, but there isn't enough body detail for us to make a positive ID.

Ref: 20130729_df1_20130615_1234_044 bumble-bee (unident) on green alkanet(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 May 2022 at 14:17 Image of day on 23 Jun 2022

The first Burnet Rose this year - 2 weeks earlier than last year.
This species has an abundance of perfume you can smell from yards away.

Ref: 20220623_df3_20220514_1417_029 burnet rose hosting bumble bee (1st of 2022 - 2 weeks earlier than 2021)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Sep 2023 at 16:03 Image of day on 17 Nov 2023

A glance from the SE corner at the field margin to our east show this Buzzard on (what turned out to be) a dead Rabbit from which the bird has already taken some lumps of meat. He spotted the humans and tried to take off with the prize, but it was obvious over a couple of tries that it was too heavy for the bird.

Ref: 20231117_df3_20230929_1603_079-1604_135 buzzard at dead rabbit fails trying to fly off with it 02+006+010+012 of 12 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Sep 2023 at 16:04 Image of day on 17 Nov 2023

Ref: 20231117_df3_20230929_1604_117 buzzard at dead rabbit fails trying to fly off with it 10 of 12 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 07 May 2022 at 16:28 Image of day on 14 Jun 2022

A Red Cardinal Beetle - the first seen in 2022.

Ref: 20220614_df3_20220507_1628_280 cardinal beetle(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Jun 2013 at 12:39 Image of day on 28 Jul 2013

This vivid beetle on a grass stem is probably Pyrochroa Serraticornis. Some identification books also name this as the 'Cardinal Beetle' while other books name a similar (but different) species as such.
The Antenna near us is foreshortened to a black circle but there is nothing 'wrong' with it as we can see in other less satisfying images.

Ref: 20130728_df1_20130615_1239_053 cardinal beetle variant (pyrochroa serraticornis) with left antenna hidden by foreshortening (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 28 Jul 2005

These orange beetles are common at this time of year and are usually seen in pairs like this.

Ref: 20050728_d60_03590 cardinal beetles mating on blackberry flower 2005jul09_17-38-34 (cropped)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 28 Jul 2018 at 11:07 Image of day on 17 Sep 2018

This plant is 'Cat's-ear' flowering in the crop margin. Only when we looked at the pic on the screen did we spot the 7-spot Ladybird left and down from the centre. The bright yellow splashes of colour against the dark is how it really looks.

Ref: 20180917_d72_20180728_1107_016 cats-ear (hypochaeris radicata or hypocho) flowers + 7-spot ladybird in crop margin track end (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 30 May 2023 at 16:53 Image of day on 26 Jul 2023

The female Chaffinch has an unfortunate Crane-fly in her beak.
We have thousands of crane-flies - almost anywhere you look you can find one.

Ref: 20230726_e6c_20230530_1653_054_fb4 chaffinch female with cranefly in beak(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 04 Apr 2020 at 15:06 Image of day on 19 Apr 2020

A Bee feeding on one of thousands of Cherry Blossoms florets.

Ref: 20200419_df3_20200404_1506_180 cherry blossom with bee(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 24 Jul 2016 at 12:53 Image of day on 08 Sep 2016

Paraphrasing the guide book .. 'eats Ragwort leaves and flowers' is illustrated by this caterpillar inside the decimated flower head

Ref: 20160908_df3_20160724_1253_169 cinnabar caterpillar eating oxford ragwort flower(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Aug 2016 at 15:27 Image of day on 25 Sep 2016

A Cinnabar Caterpillar building it's body ready to make a lovely big Pupa and emerging as a startling black and red adult Moth.

Ref: 20160925_df3_20160805_1527_067 cinnabar caterpillar feeding on oxford ragwort(r+mb id@768).jpg

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