How to build the perfect fly-trap

1. Find a leaf that someone has conveniently eaten a hole in.

2. Spin a net over the hole

3. Wait for the next meal to arrive.

The picture shows stage 2 nearing completion (click image for bigger view in Flickr)

The spider and the fly

Garden spiders are hatching, and small spiders like this are building webs everywhere. This one caught a greenfly – I hope it catches a few more.

Even smaller

I took the new lens for a spin, and found loads of tiny things that I couldn’t identify (and so are not in the index). Depth of field with this lens is quite shallow, and all the shots are hand-held (some not as sharp as I liked). Please comment if you can identify any of these!

And yet more bugs

The one on the left is the capsid bug deraeocoris flavilinea, another relative newcomer to the UK; it was first seen here in 1995, and is now common in southern England. Not sure about the other one – same place, different bug, possibly same species – it was just a quick try with my new DCR-250 macro lens. Both are on buddleia leaves.

More bugs

Lots more, if these two have anything to do with it

Swallowtail moth (ourapteryx sambucaria)

If a moth like this lands on your shirt, all you can do is switch the autofocus on and hope.

22-spot ladybird larva

I found this on the same plant as the 22-spot ladybird. Surprising how fast it can move – I had no chance of

a side view!

22-spot ladybird (psyllobora 22-punctata)

Not all ladybirds are harlequins. This is an indigenous variety that lives on mildew – it’s only about 3mm long.

Who cares if it’s raining?

I guess we’ll be seeing more of these!

More wildlife on the small scale

Midges, fruit flies, baby spiders and another (different) harlequin ladybird