Natural highs and lows

Since returning from holiday, there have been a few entomological trips to keep us entertained. Here are a swarm of photos to bring us up to date, from various sites in West Mainland and the island of Hoy, but beginning and ending at home: A 10-spotted Ladybird found on the bathroom window At the pool by Brinkies Brae Guest House: The shed skin of a newly-emerged Large Red Damselfly (not seen) A Green-veined White butterfly nectaring on a Cuckooflower A Crane Fly, Tipula sp. A bumblebee-mimic hoverfly, Eristalis intracaria Bog Reed Beetle Another Bog Reed Beetle Yet more Bog Reed Beetles Heather Beetle   In Hoy, searching for dragons: A newly-emerged Large Red Damselfly, Scapa Museum pool A Blue-tailed Damselfly, Scapa Museum pool A pair of Large Red Damselflies engaged in a spot of egg-laying at Rackwick Another pair of Large Red Damselflies at Rackwick Large Red Damselfly at Rackwick Whilst on a bumblebee survey at Skaill Bay: The bumblebees were too swift to photograph, so here'...

The late May bank holiday proved to be an outlier on the Bell curve, as it was mainly warm and dry. We'll take that, I think. A pootle around the garden with my camera set to macro mode proved fruitful. Tree Wasps basking on a window sill A hoverfly, Rhingia campestris Cocksfoot Moth A hoverfly, we're still ruminating over ID Stocky Mason Wasp, Ancistrocerus oviventris A hoverfly, Leucozona lucorum In fact, the weather was so insect-friendly, it brought on a trip to the Stenness hills where I was shown my first damselfly of the year. Large Red Damselfly Towards evening, the front door step was the location for another homely wildlife encounter. I just hope it wipes its feet properly. Flat-backed Millipede