A largely overcast, cool day with a fresh breeze, not boding too well for insects on the wing. Nor did I see a single butterfly on the wing yet oddly found two at rest on a patch of Cow Parsley, each the first of its species that I have noted this season. They were Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) and Brown Argus (Aricia agestis).

As usual Sycamore leaves proved to be good places to look, with a first of the season Plain-winged Spring Beegrabber (Myopa testacea) fly, a male Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria), a Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) of the form succinea, another hard to identify female ichneumon wasp and another first, the larval case of the Common Bagworm Moth (Psyche casta). Known as ‘bagworms’ or ‘case-bearers’, the larvae of the Psychidae moths construct cases from fragments of plant material, in this instance, pieces of grass.

Elsewhere, I located a Hook-banded Wasp Hoverfly (Chrysotoxum festivum) on Oak. This species was first recorded a week ago on 8th May, but today’s images are far more convincing from an ID perspective. Brambles produced a Common Red-legged Robberfly (Dioctria rufipes) and yet another of the colour/pattern variations of the Mottled Umber (Erannis defoliaria) moth caterpillar, while Hemp-agrimony was the chosen resting spot of a Common Dance Fly (Empis tessellata).

Dogwood harboured a female Wandering Crab Spider (Philodromus aureolus) and an unidentified tachinid fly, while others photographed were another ichneumonid wasp and a Mirid plant bug nymph, possibly of the Lucerne Bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus).

New wildflowers included Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris), one of the bewildering array of yellow composites, Rough Hawk’s-beard (Crepis biennis), a first Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) looking rather lonely in its solitude and Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor).

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