Episyrphus balteatus

This is one of the most distinctive of Britain's hoverflies. It is also one of the most abundant and most recorded species. The two photographs below were taken at Brockholes Wetland Reserve, Lancashire, on 11th July 2011.

 

The following two photographs were taken in a suburban garden, Darwen, Lancashire on 6th October 2012.

Episyrphus balteatus

This is one of the most distinctive British hoverflies. It is one of the most abundant and most recorded species. The two photographs were taken at Brockholes Wetland Reserve on 11 July 2011.

 

 

 

The following photographs were taken in a Suburban Garden, Darwen, Lancashire on 6th October 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

Platycheirus granditarsus

This is a distinctive orange hoverfly which is widespread and common throughout Britain.

Red Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii)

Described by the RHS as”the lily grower’s nemesis”, this beautiful scarlet beetle has had a devastating effect on a pot of my lilies. The larvae first appeared on 9th August 2012 and the adults on the 28th November 2012. Since they overwinter in the adult stage, their appearance at so late a date was probably due to a mild spot of weather.

Eristalis pertinax

This was the first hoverfly that I came across this year. It was 23 March on open heather moorland (West Pennine Moors SD 682200, altitude 400m) when this hoverfly was attracted to my rucksack. This large species was identified  by its having entirely orange front tarsi, and the basal half of the hind tibia being pale.

Long-legged Fly (dolly) Dolichopus sp.

This rather beautiful metallic green fly was photographed in a meadow close to a stream in Darwen, Lancashire. This is a male with prominent genitalia at the rear. The larvae are predators on smaller invertebrates.

Eristalis horticola (Hoverfly)

This large hoverfly is abundant in my garden (north west England) between April and October. This specimen was seen on 16.6.11. It is a particularly brightly coloured species of its genera and has a characteristic darkened area across the wing below the stigma.
Order Diptera
Family Syrphidae

For a natural history blog from the same area check out http://michaelfoleysnaturalhistorysite.blogspot.com/

Downlooker Snipe Fly (Rhagio scolopacea)

This fly gets its name from the habit of resting with its head down on tree trunks. It is usually in flight from May to August. This one was spotted on a stile close to a meadow near woodland in Darwen, Lancashire on 2nd June 2011. The female of the species, as shown above, can be distinguished from the male by the separation of the eyes; the eyes of the male are close together. It belongs to the family Rhagionidae. The larvae are predators on other insects and are often found living in rotting wood.

Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris)

This beautiful iridescent green tiger beetle is the commonest of the five British tiger beetles. It belongs to the family of ground beetles, Carabidae. This 12 to 13mm long insect is long-legged, with large mandibles making it a formidable predator. It prefers dry, sandy places and can be seen between May and October. The larvae are also carnivorous digging burrows from which the ambush ants and other ground-living insects. The above image was taken at Witherslack, Cumbria, 27.9.11.

Cercopsis vulnerata

This froghopper is about 10mm long is one of the most immediately recognized insects and can be found in lush vegetation. This particular one was photographed in meadowland. It is a bug belonging to the order Hemiptera, suborder Cicadomorpha and family Cercopidae. It is the only British species in that family.

Gymnocheta viridis (a Tachinid Fly)

The images above were taken at Brockholes Wetland Reserve, Lancashire on 6th June 2011.
This beautiful fly is often found close to woodland. As an adult it feeds on nectar and pollen but its larvae are endoparasitoid on moth and butterfly caterpillars causing their host's eventual death. This fly belongs to the family Tachinidae all of which are endoparasitoids on other insects. At a glance it can be mistaken for a greenbottle but differs in that it is covered in bristles.

An interesting video on tachinids can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5llTAwSVyeA

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)

This Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) was photographed near water at Cuerden Valley Park, Lancashire on 21/6/10.

Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata)

This Four-spotted Chaser was shot at the Dragonfly Breeding Pond, Cuerden Valley Park, Lancashire on 21/6/10.

Sawfly (Tenthredo sp.)

This sawfly, Tenthredo sp. (probably T. mesomelas ) like other sawflies belongs to the order Hymenoptera which includes ants, bees, wasps and ichneumon flies. Sawflies are plant eating insects and the female lays her eggs inside the plant host. This is aided by the female having a saw-like structure on the ovipositor which is used to cut through the plant tissue. Both body shape and wing venation closely resemble ancestral forms found in fossil records that date back as far as the Triassic Period (200 million years ). The image above was taken in grassland at Brockhole Wetlands, Lancashire, 5/6/10.

Speckled Wood ( Pararge aegeria )

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria ) in woodland border, Brockholes Wetland, Lancashire, 12/6/10.

Wolf Spider, Family Lycosidae with spiderlings on her abdomen

Wolf Spiders (family Lycosidae), are hunting spiders which hunt at ground level. The one shown above is most likely a Pardosa sp. and was crossing a sandy patch of ground at Brockholes Wetland, Lancashire (12/6/10). This is a female which carries its egg sac attached to its spinner. The spiderlings climb onto the abdomen (as shown above) and are carried around for the first week or so.

Merodon equestris (The Greater Bulb-fly)

Merodon equestris ( Fabricus 1794 ) mimics bumblebees. According to Stubbs and Falk (2002)

" Merodon equestris is notable for its range of colour forms. It is able mimic a variety of bumblebee patterns such as black with red tail (eg. Bombus lapidarius), black with yellow with a white tail (eg. B. lucorum) andtawny (eg. B. pascuorum)" p304.

Its name, The Greater Bulb-fly, Large Bulb-fly of Narcissus fly comes from its habit of attacking daffodil and other bulbs.

Eggs are laid on leaves at ground level. The larvae tunnel into the bulb where they live for almost a year and then pupate in the soil. The adult is short-lived (average 17 days).

The images above were taken in an suburban garden, Darwen, Lancashire, UK 30/5/10.

Identification made by David Leicester ( Dioctria) on I-Spot.

STUBBS, A.E. and FALK, S.J.,2002. British Hoverflies: an illustrated identification guide. British Entomological and Natural History Society, London.

The Common Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

The images above of Scathophaga stercoraria were taken 28/5/10 at an altitude of 744m 0n Swirl How, English Lake District. The identification has been confirmed on I spot.

There was a large population of this fly mostly on sheep dung where they feed on smaller insects and where the females lay their eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae which feed on other insect larvae; after which they burrow into the soil and develop into pupae.

As can be seen above, there was a notable difference in size between the males and females.

There is an incredible detailed image of the head of the Yellow Dung Fly and other insect images by Steve Gschmeissner using a Scanning Electron Microscope at

http://morrisonworldnews.com/?p=9000

Pond skater (Gerris lacustris)

The pond skater, common water strider (Gerris lacustris)

belongs to the order Hemiptera (true bugs), suborder Heteroptera.

The main feature of the order is the mouthparts which are of the piercing/sucking type.

Apart from the front pair, which are short and stubby and with which it holds its prey, its legs are elongated ,which like its body, are covered in tiny hairs. It can stand on and move across the surface of the water with its non-wetting legs, relying on the surface tension for support. Gerris is a carnivore that hunts for insects on the surface of the water and can detect slight vibrations caused by prey landing or falling on the water. It can travel at a speed of 1.5m/s across the water's surface.

The above specimens were observed in a drainage ditch on Darwen Moor, Lancashire,UK, 9/5/10.

Helophilus sp. ( H. pendulus or H. hybridus )

Helophilus pendulus Linnaeus 1758

is a common hoverfly which is usually found around puddles, ditches and shallow pond margins, but the specimen above was found in an urban garden on Convolvulus. The larvae may be found in farmyard drains, wet manure or sawdust. It appears between April and November.

Wing length 8.5 - 11.25mm

This specimen found in Garden, Darwen, Lancashire, UK , 10.9.09