Messingham Insects Etc...Saturday 12.07.2014.

With her indoors sleeping after her nightshift,i decided to have a look around locally.I started by looking on the local Wolds,but sadly the fog was not very helpful to start with until it eventually began to clear.Highlights on the wolds included 2 female Roe Deer and a Fox on the edge of some cereal fields and a single Corn Bunting sang from it's perch.As the sun began to finally break through i travelled over to the Insect mecca that is Messingham Sand Quarries nature reserve to see what i could find from the wonderful world of insects.For a start,Odonata was the first family of insects to take the eye and the highlights went to my first records of Common and Ruddy Darters for the year,with 4 and 2 respectively.Other species of Anisoptera recorded included 14 Brown Hawker,1 Southern Hawker and a single Black-tailed Skimmer,with Common-blue,Azure,Blue-tailed and Emerald Damselflies representing those mini predatory members of the zygoptera family.The large family of Diptera were also well represented with some interesting species observed.Three species of Soldier Fly,the lovely metallic green Broad Centurion,Banded General and the stunning Four-banded Major entered the notebook with another family syrphidae being seen in fairly good numbers and variety.A total of at least 8 species included Eristalis tenax,Eristalis intricarius,Parhelophilus frutitorum,Helophilus pendulus,Volucella pellucens,Cheilosia illustrata,Episyrphus balteatus and finally the diminutive Eupeodes corollae.The latter species probably arriving as a migrant species to the reserve.On my walk around and with the Bramble blossom coming into flower,2 members of the Cerambycidae family of beetles saw me logging both the striking Black and Yellow Longhorn Beetle and the less so impressive Red Longhorn Beetle.Ten species of Butterfly were recorded and included 3 migrant Red Admiral,Large and Small Skippers,Speckled Wood,Large and Green-veined White,Ringlet,Meadow Brown and last but not least my 'First' records of the lovely Gatekeeper for the year.Many flowers brightened the reserve today,but the highlight went to the less than colourful Dune Helleborine still keeping a toe hold on the reserve.Another great visit to this excellent little reserve. 

Soldier Fly sp. Broad Centurion.

Fan-bristled Robber Fly.

Syrphidae sp. Eristalis intricarius.

Black Snipefly.

Female Emerald Damselfly.

Common-blue Damselfly in 'Cop'.

Fox and Cubs.

Dune Helleborine.