Lots of lovely bugs today, but first, the view looking back to Sunningwell from Boars Hill. I’m sure I have a similar picture taken a while back when the hedge was first planted. Now it’s quite substantial.
Walking by Bayworth there were roe deer on one side, and crab apples and wild cherries on the other. What a feast!
Just outside Red Copse Lane the telecoms cover reminded me of when our utilities were sold off. But Sid had nothing to do with BT, Tell Sid was the British Gas catch phrase.
Here we go, the bonking beetles (threesome?) Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)
Honey bee on thistle (more thistle in the gallery)
Black Slip Wasp (Pimpla rufipes). A mainly black species, but with bright orange legs, the hind pair of legs being only slightly larger than the other pairs
I first saw the Scorpionfly (Panorpa communis) in Austria last month, and this is the first time I’ve seen it in England. Lovely stained glass wing pattern
And what a body. The scorpion-like tail is only seen in the male and is in fact its genitalia – and doesn’t sting! 
The front end is not a beak, like a bird, but a sort of extended mouth. Here it is, up close.
They feed mostly on dead insects, which they frequently steal from the webs of spiders. Mating usually occurs at night. It can be a dangerous time for the male, if he is not careful the female might decide to kill him! To avoid this he presents her with a gift of a drop of saliva which, it seems, in the world of scorpion flies, is the equivalent of a bunch of roses or a box of chocolates. [source]
Oxford spires were reasonably clear today
At lunch, by the pond, Common blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata)
Also at the lunch spot a Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Finally, back in the hedge going down to Sunningwell, Larvae of Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni). Alder leaf beetle was considered extinct in Britain with almost no records of it between 1946 and 2003. In 2004 larvae and adults were found in Manchester. It is not known how the beetles reached Manchester, but it is possible they arrived with plant imports. The beetle is now widespread in northern England and has spread into north Wales. In 2014 it was discovered in Hampshire and it is now widespread in the south east and spreading into the midlands. It may become widespread across much of England and Wales. In some areas this beetle has become very abundant and can cause significant defoliation. Although the feeding damage they cause can be unsightly, it is something that the trees will survive and the beetle can be tolerated. [source]
More larvae pictures in the gallery, plus some yellow flower meadow pictures.
We did this walk two years ago
You’ll find a runaway horse, a baby wren and a better Damselfly picture
Select any thumbnail below for a full screen slideshow
4 replies on “Photos from walk on Thursday 11th July around Boars Hill from Sunningwell”
That macro-photography course was a good decision, David! Lovely photos, as usual. (How do you get the spires and the foliage in focus, were they both at a distance?)
Stuart. Well spotted. It’s two photos, one with sharp foliage, and the other with sharp spires, merged in Photoshop; “Focus Stacking”, it’s called.
As usual, very interesting pictures with knowledgeable commentary.
Great photography
I was very taken by all your beetle pictures, David, and all the Info about them. Fascinating, thank you