Oldt1mer - Keith's photos with the keyword: Insect

I spotted this Four Spotted Chaser - Libellula quadrimaculata – (or Four Spotted Skimmer as it is known in North America) as it flew into a patch of tall grass, this is my first shot of it as I crept forward trying not to disturb it. They can be found from May to September in many locations such as heathland, in wooded areas but mainly where ponds or lakes are nearby where they feed on midges, gnats and mosquitoes. It is the state insect of Alaska. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is, I believe, a species of Honey Bee which was visiting a growth of Himalayan Balsam - Impatiens glandulifera. There are several species of Honey Bee and although I have tried, I cannot accurately identify this one for you (hopefully some kind person will help). The Himalayan Balsam, a relative of the Busy Lizzie, is an invasive species native to the Himalayas which produces large amounts of nectar making it very popular to many flying insects. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Broad-Bodied Chaser – Libellula depressa – is also known as the Broad-Bodied Darter and is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe and central Asia. Flying from April to September, they fly very fast and will fight with any rivals, be they males of their own species or any other dragonfly which threatens them or their territory. Mainly found near still water lakes and ponds, they will eat a variety of small insects. This one was seen at Pennington Flash. (The blue streak behind the Chaser is a very out of focus Azure Damselfly). This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This beauty is the male Banded Demoiselle – Calopteryx splendens – which is a species of Damselfly which flies with fluttering wings similar to a butterfly. The male, as you can see, has broad dark spots across the outer parts of his wings whereas the female has translucent pale green wings. Mainly found near slow flowing streams and rivers the female can lay up to 10 eggs per minute for 45 minutes which is a lot of eggs for such a slim narrow body. This one was spotted landing a number of meters away so is quite a big crop. Happy that the camera and lens did so well. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Common Darter - Sympetrum striolatum - is a small dragonfly that loves to perch on twigs or vegetation, especially in the sunshine, waiting for insects of any kind to fly past then it will suddenly dart out and catch its prey in mid air. They are very common and can be found pretty much anywhere near water. This female had chosen the leaf of a water reed to sit on at Pennington Flash, Leigh, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Speckled Wood - Pararge aegeria – is a small butterfly which is normally, and commonly, found in or near woodland areas across the whole of Eurasia. An early flyer in Britain it can be seen from the end of March and then on through to October. This one was spotted having a rest in the sunshine on a path at Martin Mere. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This tiny little fly sitting in a buttercup flower is, I now believe to be, the Snouted Duck Fly – Anasimyia lineata – which is a species of hoverfly commonly found near wetlands, swampy water areas, ditches etc. It is unusual because of its long snout which tapers to a point which, unfortunately cannot be seen in this picture. Seen at Pennington Flash, Leigh, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Four-Spotted Chaser - Libellula quadrimaculata – is a dragonfly wound widely throughout Europe, Asia and North America. It can be found from May through to late September on heathland as well as near ponds and lakes which have good vegetation and some open water. I spotted this one landing in some tall grass at Martin Mere Wetlands, it was good enough to rest there until I could get my shot. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The little Red-Headed Cardinal Beetle – Pyrochroa serraticornis – also known as the ‘Common’ Cardinal Beetle, is a red to orange beetle about 20mm long and found throughout Britain. Normally found at the edges of woodland, adults usually emerge around May and stay under the shelter of loose bark etc. until warmer weather when they disperse and can be found basking on large leaves. This one was found at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Common Carder Bee - Bombus pascuorum - is a common species of Bumblebee which can be found throughout most of Europe. It inhabits a wide variety of locations including gardens, parks, meadows and wasteground, in fact anywhere where there is pollen to be found. The Meadow Thistle - Circium dissectum - is a perennial herb which doesn't have large spines on its leaves as thistles normally do and is found in mainly damp/ boggy areas. Seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Green-Veined White Butterfly - Pieris napi - (thank you @Peter Schmidt for correcting my identification) is a common butterfly which likes damp grassland, pathways etc. and is often mistaken for its cousin the Small White. This female was seen near Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The common Green Bottle Fly - Lucilia sericata - is slightly larger than the House Fly and is brilliant metallic blue-green with black markings and short black bristles on the thorax. Also known as a Blowfly or Carrion Fly, it is extremely common and found in most areas of the world. The larvae of this little creature may be used in 'Maggot Therapy' where the maggots are introduced into non healing skin and soft tissue wounds for the purpose of cleaning out the dead tissue within the wound and disinfection. Sounds nasty but it really can work. This one was seen at Three Sisters Recreational Area near Wigan. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Red Admiral butterfly - Vanessa atalanta - was previously known as the Red Admirable and is widely distributed across North Africa, the Americas, Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Preferring warmer areas, it does migrate north in spring. The adult butterfly drinks from flowering plants like the Buddleja (Butterfly Bush) and also overripe fruit whilst the caterpillars main host plant is the stinging nettle and sometimes the false nettle. This one was seen enjoying Buddlleja flowers at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Common Blue Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum - is one of the most common damselflies in the UK. They can be found near most types of open water such as ponds, rivers, canals and lakes and are normally seen from April through to October. This male was seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is the amazing little Yellow Ophion - Ophion scutellaris - an Ichneumon Wasp which emerges early in the spring to find moth or butterfly caterpillars in which to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will eat the caterpillar from the inside. Adults feed on nectar and pollen. They have no sting but if threatened they will poke with their ovipositor, (which they use to inject eggs), which can cause some discomfort. I have read that this species is nocturnal but I saw this one mid afternoon so it is possibly an early riser ;-) Not the best photo I know but I glimpsed movement, saw the insect, as it landed I grabbed a quick shot and off it went further into the greenery. Seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Green-Veined White - Pieris napi - is a common butterfly in Britain which can be found in hedgerows, damp meadows, and near ditches, river banks, lakes and ponds, in fact any area which is damp with good vegetation. The 'green veins' (there are great variations in this from green to black) which you can see on the underside of the adults wings are, in fact, an illusion created by a subtle combination of yellow and black scales, this does help us to distinguish it from its cousin the Small White for which it is often mistaken. This one was seen at Pennington Flash, Leigh, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is, I think, a female Eristalis pertinax which landed, for a very short time, on a small patch of Ragwort - Senecio jacobaea. The Eristalis is a large genus of around 99 species of Hover and Drone Flies which makes it very difficult to positively identify this one, especially from just the side view. (Maybe someone with more knowledge of this can help?). Common Ragwort is a very widespread 'weed' which grows up to 1m high and is highly attractive to Bees and other insects. Seen by the Leeds-Liverpool Canal near Pennington Flash, Leigh, Lancashire. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely and very clever Comma - Polygonia c-album - butterfly is also commonly referred to as an 'Anglewing' butterfly because of the angular notches on the edges of the forewing. Clever because, to reduce predation, the larvae mimics a bird dropping whilst the adult, when its wings are folded, looks like a fallen leaf. Common in Europe, North Africa and Asia there are several subspecies and all are strong fliers. This one was seen at Three Sisters, Wigan. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.