A nice, sunny but windy morning. Again, not too many insects on the wing, apart from queen Buff-tailed Bumblebees either collecting pollen from goat willow catkins or flying grass-top level over the open areas, occasionally hovering over a particular spot. The former have no doubt already found a suitable nest site to establish a new colony, while the latter are still trying to find a new nesting place.

A mating pair of Lesser Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha goettingensis) were seen crossing one of the sandy footpaths, otherwise I would not have spotted them. I also found a small (+/- 4mm) Cynipidae gall wasp on the underside of a cherry laurel leaf. Otherwise it was a very quiet walk today.

Nature Note for the Day

Although not unique to this species of beetle, the inset in one my images of the Lesser Bloody-nosed Beetle shows the specially adapted feet of the male beetle. He needs to make sure that he is stable during mating with the female. Her elytra, the hardened forewings of a beetle that fold into place providing a cover for the hind, flight wings (essentially the beetle’s back), are shiny and smooth and are not easy to maintain a good grip on. So the male has come up with the clever solution of having hairy adhesive pads on his feet.

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