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St Marks Fly (Bibio marci)

Posted by Peter P Smith on March 08, 2018

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St Marks Fly on bulrush stem. Roll on Springtime.

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Snakefly (Raphidia xanthostigma)

The last time I saw a snakefly was in 2012 and managed to get one decent shot of it. Now, in June 2015 my second sighting and I shot at my hearts content. I was overjoyed in spotting this wonderful creature again and very pleased to share it with others. I found this next to a river on a stinging nettle and I was jumping for joy. I hope you enjoy it too.

Ichneumon (Ophion Luteus)

I found this Ophion flying around in a caravan we were staying in while on a weekend break with friends. They are fairly harmless, (the Ophions of course) but can look a bit scary with what most people think of as a stinger, but it is only their small ovipositor which is used to parasitise caterpillars. It is not as long as the larger Ichneumon wasps ovipositor.

Weevils times three, (Cionus scrophulariae), (Curculio nucem) & (Curculio glandium)

The wierd and wonderful world of Weevils. This one on the left is a figwort-weevil.(Cionus scrophulariae) I found this on the leaf of a Buddleia plant in my back garden.They are very small, not much bigger than a pin head. The probosis/rostrum looks like an elephants trunk. On the right is a nut weevil (Curculio nucem). Again a long rostrum with more distinct antenna. It uses the rostrum to make a hole in Hazel nuts where it leaves an egg and the larvae live in the nut. The one below is an acorn weevil (Curculio glandium) with a very long and curved rostrum. This is a fantastic weevil to find and again very small but it is so impressive. If you want to find one look around the base of oak trees at the right time of year.

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St Marks Fly (Bibio marci)

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