Garden Wildlife 2014

[Maggi Young]

........ a large number of this taxon are host-specific.

Otherwise known as  b****y  fussy eaters....... 

[Roma]

This Speckled Wood butterfly paid a brief visit to my garden this morning.  I was amazed it was still there when I came back with the camera and sat long enough for me to photograph it.

[Chris Johnson]

Otherwise known as  b****y  fussy eaters....... 

... and voracious with it. Your demolition of a Victoria sponge would have looked slow.

Chris

[fredg]

Knowing what species the sawfly larvae is feeding on is very useful as a large number of this taxon are host-specific.

Chris

They're feeding on Rosa rubrifolia ( I believe).

[Anthony Darby]

This Speckled Wood butterfly paid a brief visit to my garden this morning.  I was amazed it was still there when I came back with the camera and sat long enough for me to photograph it.

Roma, speckled woods are very territorial and will fight off all comers. The resident always wins and quickly drives off any visitors to his territory. It has been shown that if two butterflies have been conned into "thinking" they are the resident, battles will last a long time until one eventually gives in and flies off.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Not in the garden but in the kitchen, this moth was trying to merge with the kitchen counter.

[Anthony Darby]

Not in the garden but in the kitchen, this moth was trying to merge with the kitchen counter.

Barred yellow (Cidaria fulvata). Book says "in gardens, hedges, and other scrubby places". Your kitchen must be  clean - a scrubby place, John, or is your garden not scrubby enough? 

[ArnoldT]

Not sure if this has been already posted.

http://wallythekat.tripod.com/A_Pages/AA-Videos-YOU-Tube/Crow-Einstein.html

[Armin]

An amazing crow
Thanks for posting Arnold.

[Maggi Young]

Not found in too many of our gardens - probably something for which  to be thankful 


 The ballbearing tree hopper - Bocydium globulare - yes, really!

http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/the-surreal-treehoppers/

[Maggi Young]

Hope you enjoyed my previous link to weird critters - here's a stylish beast-  with a fully coordinated outfit -who, judging by his name and size, can do a lot of damage - tho' I read they prefer dead wood.


Rosalia funebris (Banded Alder Borer)

[Lori S.]

Astounding ornamentation on the "ballbearing" tree hopper... nature has a sense of humour!

[Maggi Young]

Astounding ornamentation on the "ballbearing" tree hopper... nature has a sense of humour!

Either that or nature works by committee!!!

[Anthony Darby]

The ball bearing tree hopper looks like it has some complicated aerial to make it radio controlled!

[Maggi Young]

The ball bearing tree hopper looks like it has some complicated aerial to make it radio controlled!

  Hadn't thought of that! It might be a satellite receiver, too - a spy bug!