Any bug photos during July 2015

[deetheturk]

Thank's Greg, I am struggling to get any images too, 46dg C here with a breeze, hopeless for any Macro

[gregj1763]

Thank's Greg, I am struggling to get any images too, 46dg C here with a breeze, hopeless for any Macro

46dg its a wonder your bugs aren't dropping from the sky in that heat

[deetheturk]

Long Horn Beetle!


#1

[Geoff F]

Those hovers, David, are Eristalis tenax; all dark hind leg. Not sure about the bee. It rather looks like a honeybee but I can't quite see the wing veins to be sure.

The sun has just broken through the cloud here but it still looks overcast in the distance. It has been very dull with showers for days now.

At least I'm getting a few moths at night. So here are a few more which nicely merge into the background.

Bee Moth. The larvae live in bumblebee nests.



Grey Dagger or the virtually identical Dark Dagger.



A new species for me; Barred Yellow. They naturally look 'washed out' and over exposed.



Looks like there might be a couple of drier days coming but the forecast for next week contains a lot of cloud and showers.

[Ziggy]

Nice ones David and Geoff.

[deetheturk]

Cheers Geoff, the camouflage on #1 and #2 is amazing, hope your weather holds, great captures mate, keep them coming!

[deetheturk]

Very nice Jim, I will leave the I.D to the more experienced members!

[Geoff F]

I would guess it is some form of sawfly. Not sure about that little bug on the right though.

Nice hairy backed beetles, David. But I don't recognise the species. A difficult family to identify.

[Barbara Ponder]

Great shoots,David, Geoff and Jim!

[John 2]

For some unknown reason, insect life in the garden has been a bit thin on the ground this year. Even the ever present Marmalade Hovers have failed to make an appearance. However, yesterday I visited my local nature reserve. I went with the primary intension of checking out a new firmware download for the Fuji XT-1 that introduced an automatic macro feature to the camera. These were some of the results using the 18-55mm kit lens. All a bit ordinary but I was pleased with how the camera performed.

Five Spot Burnet Moth.


Common Blue Damselfly.


Meadow Brown Butterfly.

[Ziggy]

Great series John. Like that damsel.

[deetheturk]

Very nice John, I'd say it performed very well, they are all good but the Meadow Brown is my pick!

[John 2]

Thank's Greg, I am struggling to get any images too, 46dg C here with a breeze, hopeless for any Macro

Ouch. It was 36dg in Portugal and I was melting. In 46dg I would be hugging the nearest air conditioner.

[JohnRostron]

John, I go for the Five-spot Burnet moth! The yellowish spot at the end of the wing is unusual though. What was the habitat? I was trying to see if it could be a Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet, but I couldn't see the detail enough.

John

[Geoff F]

Well you got the Common Blue Damsel correct but the others are wrong.

Six spot Burnet, although the outer spot is a bit faint; and a Gatekeeper butterfly. Check the white 'two eye spots' in the wing spot. Single spot for Meadow Brown.

[John 2]

I bow to your greater knowledge as always Geoff. Close but no lollipop I guess.

[Geoff F]

Even the best experts started from a position of knowing very little, John.

Just a matter of trying to remember a few tips as you go along - and having some good reference books for double checking!

[JohnRostron]

Well you got the Common Blue Damsel correct but the others are wrong.

Six spot Burnet, although the outer spot is a bit faint; and a Gatekeeper butterfly. Check the white 'two eye spots' in the wing spot. Single spot for Meadow Brown.

I wondered about Six-spot Burnet, but the hind/outer spot looked anomalous. I guess that this was probably wear and tear. I could kick myself for not spotting the Gatekeeper!

John

[Geoff F]

So easy to miss something obvious, John. I bet you will carefully check every Meadow Brown in future.

And on that theme, a couple of very similar lacewings.

Chrysoperla carnea with all green wing veins.



And Dichochrysa flavifrons with some black cross veins.



But identification isn't quite that simple and they both have almost identical alternatives.

[deetheturk]

Very nice Geoff, I would not have noticed that