Frequent heavy rain.
I've always thought that the Bumblebee Bombus pratorum should be found around here, but this is the first local one I've seen.
(Red tail, single yellow band, worker-sized).
This slug - Arion circumscriptus - was found at the tip of a flowering shoot of Navelwort. Amazing colours.
Cocksfoot Grass has been out for some time, but this is the first I've seen that wasn't on a verge with cars speeding past.
Cow Parsley Seeds have formed. Already. Quite soon I'll be able to show their mature, dark, colouring that makes them resemble a beetle.
Two fly portraits. The left-hand specimen is getting some nutrition from a bird dropping, whilst the second - one of the many Calliphoridae - is resting on a flower of Herb Robert.
Herb Bennet has also opened all the way along the hedgerow.
This 7-spot Ladybird had just landed and the (surprisingly large) wings were in the process of being retracted.
First evidence of the fungal infection Puccinia urticata on Nettle. This is officially a gall, since the fungus alters the shape of the host for its own benefit. (The surface area available for spore production is dramatically increased.)
A leaf miner - Phytomyza ranunculi - on Creeping Buttercup. The mining larva (yellow) can be seen to the left end of the mine.
First Soldier Beetle of the year - Rhagonycha fulva.
I'm not exactly sure what's going on here. Both insects are of the same species of Stiletto Fly and they're clearly 'in cop', but it looks like the female is consuming the male. They're carnivores, but I didn't know that some flies kill their partner after mating.
Not wildlife, but a nice little shot that says 'Ireland' to me.
