Latest butterflies to put in an appearance are Large White (Pieris brassicae), Green-veined White (Pieris napi) and Comma (Polygonia c-album).

Other insects photographed were Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp (Cerceris rybyensis), Common Tachinid fly (Tachina fera), Roesel’s Bush-cricket (Roeseliana roeselii) and Dimorphic Strider sawfly (Macrophya montana).

On a leaf of a Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) I came across what I think may be Yellow-legged Knapweed Aphid (Uroleucon jaceicola?) while on a sycamore leaf I found aestivating Sycamore Periphyllus Aphid (Periphyllus acericola) nymphs in close proximity to a Sycamore Felt Gall Mite (Aceria pseudoplatani) erineum.

Nature note for the day

An erineum is an abnormal felty growth of hairs from the leaf epidermis of plants caused by various mites. The Sycamore Periphyllus Aphid aestivate in densely packed groups next to these erinea as camouflage, hiding in plain sight, to try and avoid predation by warblers such as the Chiffchaff that find the erinea unpalatable.

For those who’d like to dig deeper into the fascinating world of aphids you can find a very comprehensive site here. 

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