A couple of images left over from yesterday, plus a later visit to the high bog.
Dull and sticky.
Two shots of the strangest fly I have shown - Sicus ferrugineus, a Conopid fly. It looks odd (the abdomen is doubled back underneath), and its behaviour is fascinating. It parasitises Bumble Bees by injecting an egg into them whilst they're in flight.
Thanks to Matt and Hans for this id.
And two shots of a tiny (12 mm) Wasp - one of the Ectemnius wasps. These hunt Hoverflies - more mimicry? Indeed, perhaps double mimicry - hoverflies take on the appearance of wasps (black and yellow stripes) in order to look like wasps and hence avoid being eaten. But this wasp looks rather like a Hoverfly to me. I presume that's to avoid scaring the Hoverfly as it approaches. Fascinating - a wasp imitating a hoverfly that's imitating a wasp.
Thanks to Matt for this id.
This is one of the Froghopper family. I saw the same one last year and wondered if it was a freak. Now I know it's ok.
I've been watching this Willow for a while. I'm now sufficiently happy to call it the Bay Willow.
These Frog tadpoles are a bit late. There were plenty of froglets in and around the water, and one or two tadpoles had legs. But the majority are large but undeveloped. Vegetation and other pond life is sparse, so maybe they are starved of e.g. Iodine, which is essential for the metamorphosis to take place.
