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Chiddingfold Wood, 1st June 2012 continued

Amongst one of the many insects i photographed today was this pair of beautiful chubby larva helping themselves to an early afternoon snack. I have no idea of an ID.

Hi Nick,

Lovely picture.

They look like Chrysomelid beetle larvae to me, though I can't tell you which one.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

Thanks Mark, much appreciated.

All the best,

Nick.

Chiddingfold Wood, 1st June 2012 continued
This is the only Common Blue i have seen here, even though i have meticulously searched the area. I even checked a local sight that used to be good for C.B. and found nothing. I also found this Damselfly that seems to be camera shy.So i just stepped to one side and took this second picture.

Cracking shots of the Damselfly Nick - if you find out what species it is then let me know as I saw one just like it on Saturday at Botany Bay!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

PS Is it the same species as nfreem had the other day?

EDIT - looks very similar - white legged damselfly?

Hi Wurzel

It's a female White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes).

Kind regards. Mark

There is nothing common about your Common Blue pic Nick. It is beautiful and the background complements it perfectly. Wish I had taken it.

Hi Wurzel and Pauline,

Thankyou both for your kind comments on my photos.

Chiddingfold Wood, 1st June 2012

There are many wonderful acts of nature i have been privileged to have witnessed during my life, but there are still a lot more i would love to observe. Today i witnessed one of these acts high on my list to see. A Dragonfly taking out an insect in flight, it did`nt happen exactly the way i would have wanted because it involved a butterfly, but you have to eccept nature as it is. What i saw on this occasion was a female Black-Lined Skimmer [Orthetrum Cancellatum] take a Dingy Skipper out in mid-air and bringing it to its demise. I took this picture on the 29.5.2012, i thought it might of been an immature Common Blue Damselfly, but after looking on google i am not really sure.

Hi, Nick,

I'll go out on a limb and say Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella), going by what looks like a U shaped mark on the 2nd Abdominal segment.

Neil F.

Hi Neil,

Thanks for going out on a limb, you`re right about the 2nd segment with the U-shape making it a Azure Blue Damselfly. The U-shape is seperated from the the segment`s narrow terminal black band, distinguihing it from a Variable Damselfly where the U-shape on this species is joined to the teminal band with a black line. Also the Azure Damselfly has a dark marking on the upperside of segment nine which cancels out both the Common Blue and the Variable Damselflies, i was checking the colouration of the thorax for ID, but the many changes of colour between just emerging and adulthood is quite dramatic, and amazing as i found out when i photographed a Large Red Damselfly which had just emerged. When i took the first photo at 9.47am the thorax was brown with yellowish bands, and the legs were a light brown, about 50mins. later the thorax was black with whiteish bands, and the legs were also black, quite astonishing.

Thankyou for the ID and pointing out what i should be looking for when trying to identify these insects, [i did`nt notice the U-shape]very much appreciated.

All the best,

Nick.

Hi Nick

I realise that at the moment for various reasons you are not getting out as much as usual. In the interim why not treat us to some of your lovely photos from previous years if you have time - as long as you don't mind your diary not being precisely in chronological order. It is always a pleasure to look at good photos - especially in this dreary weather.

Best Wishes

P.

Thanks Pauline, i have just caught up with your post, really appreciated, so here are a couple of photos from previous years just for you.

WOW!!!!!! Really lovely Nick.

Chiddingfold Wood, 10 June 2012

I took these two photos on a rainy afternoon, having to pack my camera away on several occasions when the rain got to heavy, but in the end well worth taking the chance of going out on a seemingly pointless day for photography.

Stunning photos, i look forward to seeing more

Chris

Thanks Chris, thats very kind of you.

All the best, Nick.

Chiddingfold Wood 17 June 2012

Now i know why spiders have such long legs, this female Nursery Web Spider depicted in the photo below carrying her egg sac would be totally immobile if she had shorter legs.The female carries her egg sac beneath her body, holding it in her jaws. Just before the eggs hatch she fixes the sac to the vegetation and spins a silken tent around it, she then stands guard over the eggs and then the spiderlings. Hence the English name given to this species, the Nursery Web Spider.

Garden, 1st June 2012

I was pottering around the garden when i noticed this newly emerged Large Red Damselfly by my pond, so i nipped indoors, grabbed my camera and took these two pictures. The first one was taken at 9.54am, the second at 10.46am. The dramatic colour change between the two photos in such a small space of time is quite amazing.

Chiddingfold Wood 11 July 2012

I was joined today by my good friend Mark Colvin hoping to find and photograph the Purple Emperor.Ignoring the rain, thunder and lightning we soldiered on, and were rewarded with three sightings, one a very fresh individual, one that had seen better days [both on the ground] and one that flew majestically above our heads. A fantastic day.

Cracking shots Nick! I have still got to get shots of his Nibbs despite seeing him the last two years

Also I must apologise for not responding to your PM about Lulworth Skipper diagnostics, I thought I'd replied as I know I started but must have got called away to deal with one or both of the girls

Have a goodun

Wurzel