Search - Articles

the blue of the wooden compost bins. Yes blue. They match the shed and aren't really that bright - they've weathered to a dark rustic tone.And feeding on the fly maggots is a whole series of other insects. There's a veritable ecosystem in there. Several

A fascinating find in the garden late last week - the box bug, Gonocerus acuteangulatus, once regarded as one of the rarest insects in Britain. This medium-sized (about 10 mm) brown leafbug is a smaller, slimmer and slightly more elegant relative

I'm a very hands-on sort of naturalist. If I can, I pick up whatever it is I've found to have a closer look. With insects, getting a closer look is very often a question of grabbing at something that moves very quickly, and only then discovering

I thought my garden was already quite a haven for mammals, birds and insects, but there is always more you can do for them. With this in mind I've just registered to take part in the RSPB Homes for Wildlife scheme. After answering a few brief

, with bright red legs and a menacing pointed tail. It could only be one thing: the spectacularly intimidating, yet bizarrely and intriguingly named Pimpla hypochondriaca.If there were any insect that deserved to have an extraordinary English name given to it

chestnut scale insects, Pulvinaria regalis (pictured above). These strange insects can be quite unsightly on the bark of infested trees. In this case they've flaked away, leaving pale dusky echoes. They've probably been mopped up by the larvae of the badly

and lays her pale beige marshmallow-shaped eggs (I estimated about 250), and that's it. Job done.Like most insects, her adult life is very short and with only one aim: to start off the next generation. This was only the second female I've ever seen

completely different foodplants. Butterflies in the spring emergence lay their eggs on holly and their caterpillars feed on the developing buds. When these insects reach adulthood in late-summer they lay their eggs on ivy flower buds. At least

and widespread, but more an insect of rough flowery grassland, verges, meadows and commons than of domestic gardens. The larvae burrow in plant stems, but only wild flowers so it's never a pest. It's easy to see how this noble-looking beetle got its scientific

with buzzing insects. I know the village is slightly nearer the equator than still-hibernating East Dulwich, but this was ridiculous.Dozens of honeybees were bobbing about on the flowers, together with their hoverfly mimics, droneflies (Eristalis tenax