Yet another colour variety of the incredibly diverse Harlequin Ladybird. Not seen this one before.

Just went to put the trap out and found this Least Black Arches above the door. Must have been there all day and never saw it! #TeamMoth

Superb display of Ramsons (& Bluebells) at Staffs Wildlife's Piggots Bottom NR was bound to produce the Garlic Hoverfly Portevinia maculata. I was not expecting the super Sericomyia lappona though.

26 of 15 species was much better than recently! Best by far was Small Mottled Willow, only 2nd garden record. Also had 4 Waved Umbers. #TeamMoth

I know it can be a pest in gardens but Least Yellow-sorrel Oxalis exilis is a pretty little plant.

Never tire of seeing Red Kites flying over our house. This one is in moult.

This fly is even small than the Pipunculid I posted earlier. Winglength just 1.2mm. It is Thaumatomyia notata, sometimes known as the Yellow Swarming Fly.

One of my favourite hoverflies; Leucozona lucorum. Trying to shelter under a leaf from the wind I guess.

The range in size of insects is amazing. This is a Pipunculid fly and is the size of a grain of rice. It is an excuisite hoverer. But just look at those eyes; they make up most of its head. The larvae are parasites of leaf hoppers so they are important bio controls.

Whoa! This not just a Bee Fly, it's a Dotted Bee Fly! Southerners may wonder what the fuss is about but our garden seems to be the 2nd most northerly site for it. Got the first on 26/3/24 and thought it a one-off until today. So, check all Bee Flies! @kitenet.bsky.social

Two of the commoner white butterflies. Green-veined White and Small White.

I thought this was an ichneumon at first but it is a sawfly Tenthredo atra. In Stone today. New one to me.

Found this small Chalcidid wasp in the garden. I am told it is Haltichella rufipes. Can't see any dots on the NBN Gateway for Staffs so may be a new county record. New to me at any rate.

Two ladybirds at Crown Meadow, Stone today. One is the succinea form of the infinitely variable Harlequin, the other is a 24-spot. Not seen that in a while.

So went out with macro lens for insects, only to see a Dipper with chick across the river! 100mm is not enough, so a record shot of a fantastic event. Breeding Dipper in Stone. Who'd have thought that 10 years ago. 2nd year running I think.

Foxglove Tree Paulownia tomentosa in flower by M&S in Stone.

Platycheirus tarsalis; a new hoverfly for the garden. Has distinctive expanded front tarsi.

Missed out on a lifer yesterday but made up for it today 😀 I am told this is Osmia caerulescens Blue Mining bee. A new one for me. In the garden.

Anyone recognise this larva that is crawling up our wall? SJ93. #TeamMoth

Seems to have been a hatch of Sloe aka Hairy Shieldbugs; everywhere.

9 moths of 8 species last night; nothing of note but always like to see the Many-plumed Moth. #TeamMoth

A rather fine female Didea fasciata hoverfly in the garden. Don’t see it very often.

Nice to have Common Whitethroat back on our local patch. Didn't come last year.

Another day another lifer. The hoverfly Brachyopa scutellaris in the garden. A rare species in Staffs but I guess it goes un-noticed as it is not very hoverfly-like.

Female Holly Blue spent much of the day in our garden. Good year for them I think.

The Logjammer Hoverfly Chalcosyrphus eunotus is a rare beast. Lays its eggs in partially submerged timber in log jams on small dingle-like streams. Looked for and found it today - chuffed as it is a lifer too!

These small Dolichopodid flies are super. When the light catches them they look like silver flashes as they dart about over dark soil. This is Argyra; it can't be identified to species from a photo. Taken at Aqualate.

The caddis Limnephilus sparsus at Aqualate Mere.

Two's company, three's a crowd! Green Shieldbugs.

A Dung Fly that has been attacked by an entomophagous fungus. Not a pleasant end!

A lone Pink Campion in a sea of Bluebells at Hodnet Hall.

Love the hoverfly Leucozona lucorum; one of my favourites. Here at Hodnet Hall Gardens.

Incurvaria masculella at Hodnet Hall Gardens, Shrops today. #TeamMoth

Very noisy in the rookery at the moment. Youngsters are very near fledging age.

Iris Flea Beetles Aphthona nonstriata hard at work.

Orange-tip on Aubretia. Been a good year for them in the garden.

After the excitement of the hoverfly at Aqualate, another Staffordshire first, and a first for me too, the ichneumon Echthrus reluctator, also at Aqualate - great place !

The 2024 report is dropping through letterboxes. Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy it.

Two nice hoverflies from Aqualate today; the "massive" Sericomyia silentis and Epistrophe eligans.

This time last year the field by the car-park at Aqualate was pink; turned out to be Common Storksbill. Today the Storksbill is still there but not so obvious as crops are starting to grow.

Bluebells were at their best at Aqualate today.

Even if you are not into flies you have to admit that this is a stunner! It is the hoverfly Cheilosia chrysocoma at Aqualate and it is a first for Staffordshire! I've only seen it once before - in Aberdaron. It has a western distribution.

Moira would you say this is straight Wild Strawberry or some garden cultivar? @naturelark.bsky.social

Early Grey, one of my favourite spring moths and one of the few species I have ever found on a tree trunk. #teammoth

A lot of Nursery-web Spiders Pisaura mirabilis out at Crown Meadow, Stone. Also a nice patch of Lady's Smock aka Cuckoo Flower - foodplant of the Orange-tip Butterfly.

Chiffchaff at Crown Meadows, Stone. Not bad shot with just a macro lens :)

Two moths from last night; firsts for the year for me : Brindled Pug and Lunar Marbled Brown. #teammoth

Anybody having problems with iRecord? I know they had some down time recently but it is gridingly slow. So slow in fact that it times out when trying to select Add Record or List of records and when you do get an input screen it won't save what you've input. Using a fast PC and network so not that.

There’s a small patch of green alkanet on our estate on which I have found the odd Scarlet Tiger larva over the last few years. Just counted 20+; think it’s going to be a good year. It’s quite amazing how quickly they have spread across Staffs. #TeamMoth

No trap required; Streamer on a fence post on our walk today. #TeamMoth