Anelosimus vittatus

Gone to see a man about a spider.

Bedroom Antics

Clubiona corticalis


Once upon a time I was my job to remove the House Spiders from the bedroom at night. Around here, the House Spiders are a distant memory (apart from a few at the bottom of the garden) - the Pholcus have eaten them all. Now our nocturnal wanderers are mostly Clubiona, like this Clubiona corticalis, although this immature male Philodromus spp. also turned up last night.


Philodromus spp.

Entomophthora muscae

There are several groups of pathogenic fungi which specialize in insects, Cordyceps being the first which springs to mind. In the UK, Entomophthora muscae is not uncomon, with outbreaks of infection tending to occur in the spring and autumn. I found several of these infected flies (Scathophaga stercoraria?) at the weekend, all lying on Broad-leaved Dock leaves waiting to disperse their spores to passers-by.

Tawny Mining Bee - Andrena fulva

Lots of females like this one around at the weekend.

Nebria brevicollis

Hairy legs, innit?

Insect Invisibility

"We argue that if we teach what we value and textbooks document what we teach, then textbooks should reflect our societal values. Declines in textbook coverage of insects may document the reduced value of biodiversity in our culture, but could also influence the generation learning from these books. The decreased worth in biodiversity topics, especially those relating to insects, may result in drastic consequences to societies that must recognize the influence of insects on food resources, ecosystem function, and disease transmission."

The Decline of Insect Representation in Biology Textbooks Over Time (2018) American Entomologist, 64 (4), 252-257 https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/tmy064

Anchomenus dorsalis

My efforts to use the Luff Carabid key reliably continue. I think I'm making progress. Fortunately, this is an easy one.

Devil's Coach Horse

Ocypus olens.

Britain's most recognisable beetle?

Orange Underwing - Archiearis parthenias

I'd planned to go out to Pickworth Great Wood today, and that fact that an Orange Underwing was recorded there yesterday didn't put me off. On entering the wood you stand with one foot in VC55 and the other in VC53, and the first thing I saw on the path was an Orange Underwing (definitely on the VC55 side!). Much fumbling with camera and swearing, by which time it had flown off. By the end of the day though we'd seen plenty - I stopped counting at 20. Plus too many Brimstone and Peacock butterflies to count, three Commas and two male Orange Tips.