A weekend of Insects

This weekend seemed to be perfect for insect chasing. It was sunny and dry and there was not too much wind; I was not disappointed at all! But I did not expect to see the ones I am about to show.

The Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula Depressais) is a magnificent Dragonfly that makes a lot of noise when it flies around your head. Thankfully, this female was kind enough to rest on a plant to pose for my camera. With its transparent wings and the sun shining through it is a truly remarkable insect. The colours are fantastic, as you can see at the picture from my archive (taken in 2012).

It is always exciting to take a picture of an insect that I never saw before. Finding out what it is can take some time, but the internet is patient (just like me..?). The moth on the left is a Yellow Shell (Camptogramma Bilineata) from the family of the Geometridae and the two mating damselflies on the right are Large Red’s (Pyrrhosoma Nymphula) from the family of the Coenagrionidae.

 

Flying over the high grass of Tottenham Marshes I spotted my first Common Blue (Polyommatus Icarus) this year. They are cunning little creatures, because The chrysalis is attended by ants, which will often take it into their nests.The larva creates a substance called honeydew, which the ants eat while the butterfly lives in the ant hill. After changing into a butterfly, they just leave the ant hill…without a simple Thank You.

The first butterfly you normally see in the year, is the Brimstone (Gonepteryx Rhamni). And yet I wasn't able to take a picture from a close distance, until today.

And finally: this blog with pictures of a weekend of insects would not be complete, without a good old fashioned Bumblebee on a flower. I took this picture in my garden this weekend when the bee was feasting on the Osteospermum.