A different route to yesterday, but some of the images I took were of things I saw yesterday.

First was yet more overwintering Birch Catkin Bugs, this time clustered on sycamore leaf buds.

More flower buds too on a Holly (Ilex aquifolium) bush. What was unusual was the presence of a pollen-bearing male holly flower. I can’t quite decide whether this is a very late this year’s flower or a very early next Spring flower.

The particular path I chose had a lot of holly as well as several Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) trees. Some of the Cherry Laurel leaves showed the presence of extrafloral nectaries (I explained the function of these in my diary post of 29^th September). On the leaves of these two I added 3 more new insects to the year list. On a holly leaf I found a fungus gnat of the family Mycetophilidae, while on separate cherry laurels I located a male non-biting midge of the family Chironomidae (perhaps either a Microtendipes pedellus or a member of the Paratendipes albimanus complex) and a plant louse of either the family Psyllidae or Triozidae.

‘Plant louse’ conjures up mental images of something a lot more exotic than a species in the Order Hemiptera, related to shield bugs, plant bugs, aphids and froghoppers.

Of course, the day would not be complete without another dinner plate size Birch Polypore (Fomitopsis betulina).

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