Taken at Dinton
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Taken at Dinton
1 - either a small Skipper or an Essex Skipper,,, I don't know how to differentiate (they are very similar...Rolf may be better placed)
2 - probably a common red soldier beetle - Rhagonycha fulva
3 - Longhorn Beetle - Strangalia quadrifasciata ... I think.
Great pics, Joe - and well ID'd, Louise!
I particularly like the last one - handsome chap (as long as he stays on that leaf and doesn't crawl on to me.... - :eek: !)
Thanks Louise, the butterfly had me confused. as for the other 2 I am absolutely hopeless.
You are right Catherine - the Longhorn is a lovely chap, although the way they are 'painted' they just look fake :)
I never used to be that bothered about ID (I just liked catching pretty insects), but since being on here I've been ID'ing more and more and of course, however bad my memory is, some of it does eventually stick :)
So - my pleasure, Joe.
Butterfly is an Essex Skipper as far as I know. :)
Rolf, you missed the extra creepy with the longhorn. What's an Essex Skipper doing in Berkshire
Unfortunately it's not a weird sighting, Joe. The E.skipper was not spoted as a different creature until relatively recently, and maybe it was in Essex that it was spotted? It can be found throughout South-East England as far west as Somerset/Dorset and as far north as South Lincolnshire and the Midlands.
I just looked it up and the key difference is that the E. Skipper has a glossy black tip to its antennae while the Small Skipper has dull brown/orange tips. Also S. Skippers are slightly more orange while the Essex Skipper tends to be more of a dull brown/tan colour per British Butterflies - A Photographic Guide by Steven Cheshire
.. or it could just be because the female likes to wear white stilettos and tight mini-skirts ;)
Oh yes Joe, sorry, didn't look at it in great detail, as it had been identified.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by joe