Insect life on the spoil heap

Here above is the bulbous female Green Dock Beetle (Gastrophysa viridula) and at nearly half the size below is the male of that species. When the female is full of eggs like this she is referred to as being "gravid". These beetles seemed at home on the underside of the dock leaves. The damage they inflict can be seen next to male in the picture below. It was following the trail of damage that lead me to an encounter with this species. So remember, if in doubt, follow the damage.The beetle below is a Flower Beetle (Oedemera lurida). Sitting on the petal of an Oxeye Daisy alongside a 22 spot ladybird. These beetles are pollen eaters and so hang around on flowers slowly munching their way through the yellow stuff and in turn pollinating the flowers.

Finally for today let me show you this. Thousands of Black Ant (Lasius niger) princesses getting ready for the 'day of the flying ants'. On one of the next sunny days chemical messages will be sent between ant colonies that will make these ants fly into the air to meet the flying males. Males and females fly separately in each colony to ensure genetic diversity within the species. After mating each female will then come back down to the ground and look for a place to start her own colony as queen. So in total this is a summary of the animal life found on the heap to date.

Butterflies
Common Blue - Polyommatus icarus
Speckled Wood - Pararge aegeria
Large White - Pieris brassicae

Insects
14 Spot Ladybird - Propylea 14 punctata
7 spot Ladybird - Coccinella 7-punctata
Black Ant - Lasius niger
Brown Lacewing - Hemerobius humulinus
Carabid Beetle - Harpalus rufipes
Common Carder Bee - Bombus agrorum
Common Field Grasshopper - Chorthippus brunneus
Common Froghopper - Philaenus spumarius
Common Wasp - Vespula vulgaris
Flesh Fly - Sarcophaga carnaria
Flower Beetle - Oedemera lurida
Green Dock Beetle - Gastrophysa viridula
Ground Beetle - Feronia nigrita
Harlequin Ladybird - Harmonia axyridis
Marmalade Hoverfly - Episyrphus balteatus
Meadow Grasshopper - Chorthippus parellelus
Red Ant - Myrmica rubra
Red Tailed Bumblebee - Bombus lapidarius
White Tailed Bumblebee - Bombus lucorum

Spiders
House Spider - Tegenaria duellica
Money Spider - Neriene peltata

Chilopoda & Diplopoda
Striped Millipede - Ommatoiulus sabulosus
Common Centipede - Lithobius forficatus