Insects & More

Hi! I'm Alex. I'm 13 years old, and I've created this blog for my challenge: to find, and if possible, photo, every organism listed in my book: "Field Guide To The Butterflies And Other Insects Of Britain" The list of organisms etc are down the bottom as the footer; the main finds in the Posts. I may not be able to get Photos of all the organisms, but I'll try my best! This challenge starts on the 1st January, 2016. My target is for it to be completed by the end of 2017, but it can be extended.

Thursday, 28 July 2016

Honey-bee

I can't believe it took be 6 months to find a Honey-bee! I suppose I kept overlooking it, as a common insect, forgetting it was part of my challenge!
Scientific name: Apis Mellifera

Apis Mellifera
Photo by Alex Sidney

Apis Mellifera
Photo by Alex Sidney

Cluster Fly

According to my research, this is a Cluster Fly (pollenia Rudis).

Cluster Fly
Photo by Alex Sidney

Cinnabar Moth

I see this bright coloured Moth every year, along with its caterpillars...
I can't log any photos of the adult Moth, but I do have sightings, and I have many photos of the Larvae, which are equally recognisable by their bright colours. The adults are black and red, the Larvae black and yellow!
Scientific name: Tyria Jacobaeae

Tyria Jacobaeae
Photo by Alex Sidney

Bombus Lucorum

This common Bumble-bee, Bombus Lucorum, is another common garden Bumble-bee, often mistaken for the Buff-tailed Bumble-bee.

Bombus Luorum
Photo by Alex Sidney

Bombus Lucorum
Photo by Alex Sidney

Reminder

Please remember, that you won't see photos, or even logs, of all the insects in the posts, as I cannot get pictures of all of them, for obvious reasons...
They will be listed in the lists of the bottom of the page, which is updated roughly every few months.
Thanks,

Alex

Bombus Lapidarius

Its scientific name is Bombus Lapidarius. Also called the Red-tailed Bumble-bee, this Bee is one of the most common garden visitors, if you have attractive flowers.
Another successful tick of the list!

Bombus Lapidarius
Photo by Alex Sidney

Bombus Lapidarius
Photo by Alex Sidney

Black-and-yellow Cranefly

The book says that this species' scientific name is Nephrotoma Maculosa. However, this species appears to have changes, or been erased/transformed, into the Tiger Cranefly, otherwise known as Nephrotoma Flavescens. For the sake of not complicating things, I will pretend the names stay the same, and tick this species off on the list.

Black-and-yellow Cranefly
Photo by Alex Sidney

Sunday, 8 May 2016

Pill Bug

A close relative of the Common Woodlouse, the Pill Bug, Armadillidium Vulgare, can roll up into a complete, armoured ball. The Common Woodlouse cannot.
Simple difference :)

Pill Bug
Photo by Alex Sidney

House Spider

My mum wasn't very enthusiastic when she saw this large Tegenaria Domestica in the study!
This is a common House Spider, found - well, in houses!

House Spider
Photo by Alex Sidney

Earwig

This female Earwig was found inside my sleeping bag!!!
I had quite a jump in the night, when I felt something wriggling about inside my sleeping bag!
Scientific Name: Forficula Auricularia

Earwig
Photo by Alex Sidney

Moss Snail

When I captured other, large Snails, I always put it a few Wildflowers with them, just in case they are in there for a few hours, with nothing to keep them moist.
This morning, I looked at my Snails, and found a tiny one!
Thinking it was a baby of a larger species, I researched it, to no avail. Then I finally turned to my books, and found that it was Moss Snail (Cochlicopa Lubrica)

From the book:

Moss Snail
Cochlicopa Lubrica

The blunt-ended, conical shell is glossy, translucent, and pale to dark brown. The snail is common everywhere in Britain in damp places including dead leaves, grass and under fallen branches, as well as among mosses. The body is pale brown. Shell size up to 1/4 in. (6 mm) long and 1/8 in. (3mm) across.

Moss Snail
Photo by Alex Sidney

Dark-lipped Banded Snail

This was quite an interesting discovery; I've never really looked at Banded Snails before, and there are two main species: White-lipped, and Dark-lipped Banded Snails.
It took me quite a lot of research on "the web", to find out the simple difference.
To distinguish the two snails apart, you just look at the colour of the band on the lip of their shells. Occasionally, you will get coloured lips that don't match the rest of the shell, so that specimen will be an undetermined species.
The colour (either white or brown/black), will tell you the species - hence the names.
But this one was a Dark-lipped Banded Snail (Cepaea Hortensis)

Dark-lipped Banded Snail
Photo by Alex Sidney

Common Centipede

An easy find, under almost every log I look under!
Scientific Name: Lithobius Forficatus

Common Centipede
Photo by Alex Sidney

7-spot Ladybird

Probably one of the most common of Britain's Beetles, I can't believe I found this one so hard to find this year!
Scientific Name: Coccinella 7-punctata

7-spot Ladybird
Photo by Alex Sidney

Thursday, 5 May 2016

Psithyrus Vestalis

Straight after finding the Red-tailed Bumblebee (see previous post), I gathered up all my equipment, and just as I was about to go outside, my dad called me to say that there was a large Insect in our conservatory!
What luck it was: Psithyrus Vestalis, a species of the Bumble-bee family, without even stepping outside, within 30 minutes of the last Bumblebee!

Psithyrus Vestalis
Photo by Alex Sidney

Psithyrus Rupestris

Over the last few weeks, I've been setting pitfall traps all over my garden, in order to catch ground-dwelling Insects, Molluscs, and Isopods....
Apparently, it is a Bumble-bee Mimic, mimicking the Red-tailed Bumble-bee.
This one is Psithyrus Rupestris.