One of those days where almost everything I tried worked.
2 x Orange Tip (m), 2 Speckled Wood, 1 x Green-veined White (f).
Heavy rain.
The 14-spot Ladybird - Propylea quattuordecimpunctata - is only the size of a match-head.
The Common Carder Bumblebee - Bombus pascuorum - is very active on the Bush Vetch and various Buttercups and Dandelions. Note the ubiquitous Micropterix calthella micromoth.
More Micropterix calthella on Creeping Buttercup.
Another micromoth - Ancylis badiana - which can usually be seen towards the end of the day.
I saw this spinning on a Meadowsweet leaf, and when I opened it a micromoth larva sped out onto my hand. I managed a couple of shots, but on checking the Meadowsweet-feeding micromoths, none are this colour. Must be a polyphage. Celypha lacunana appears to fit the bill.
Larva about 1 cm. long.
A couple of Dock Leaf-beetles - Gastrophysa viridula. She's obviously full of eggs.
There were hundreds of these Bibios on Raspberry and Bramble plants. All males.
What a cracking little Weevil: it's only about 2.5 mm long. Maybe Apion sp.
I was checking the Lady's Smock for Orange Tip eggs and this male decided to allow me a full photographic session. Fantastic eyes.
And a couple of other butterflies: Female Green-veined White on the left and Speckled Wood on the right.
Two closely-related plants: Silverweed (left) and Tormentil (right).
I really need to get a Spider reference.
A tiny (4mm.) beetle eating the petals of Creeping Buttercup accompanied by yet another Micropterix. Looks like Hydrothassa marginella.
One of the Empids, again on Cardamine pratensis.
Two Syrphs. The left image is a 'toofer': a Cheilosia plus the first Meadow Buttercup - Ranunculus acris - of the year. On the right a Melanopsis.
Did anyone spot the extra Orange Tip egg?