Here there be monsters - 1 June 2011

Bug Alert, if you're screamish about Bees, Bugs and moths, I suggest you give this entry a miss.

We went to Castlehill park, between Anstey, and Beaumont Leys. entering from the Anstey Lane end, we heard a lot of bird song but few were evident. About halfway round and as we turned back in the direction of the gate, the footpath passed between waist high cow-parsley and hogweed. both sides there were a variety of insects etc. collecting pollen.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/640 @ f9.0, iso 400, 400mm

This one was doing particularly well, as the pollen sacks show (the thick creamy yellow round the back legs).

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/400 @ f9.0, iso 400, 400mm

The next one had obviously just started, there's very little pollen in evidence, but he's busy collecting .

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/250 @ f9.0, iso 400, 400mm

This flew across the path and first I thought it was a butterfly, but I soon realised it was a moth, I had to look it up in my books because although it is apparently quite common, I'd never seen one before. It goes by the strange name of a Silver-Ground Carpet moth and should make people re-think their ideas about what a moth should look like - this one was very pretty to look at.


Now for the nasty bug - just kidding - although it looks like the stuff of nightmares, but it probably has a nice personality.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L Lens
1/800 @ f9.0, iso 400, 400mm

 I think it's a beetle of sorts but have yet to identify it.

My thanks to Paul ( http://alulawildlifephotos.yolasite.com) for suggesting it might belong to the Soldier Beetle family. They look very similar but they seem to have a black tip to their bodies, maybe it's a variant.