Another walk along my favourite route this afternoon. Not too many butterflies about but I did come across a Small Heath along the Mermaid Track where there were a pair of Common Blues, 2 Large Whites and a Meadow Brown. In the grounds of St Andrew's Church there was a Comma and in Penns Wood a Speckled Wood.
Also also along the track a Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera) and an adult Long Winged Cone-head (Conocephalus fuscus). The latter was in the same area as the nymph was found on 7 Aug 18 Here.
Hoverflies were out in force with several Marmalade Hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus), 3 Hornet Mimic Hoverflies (Volucella zonaria), a Dead Head Fly (Myathropa florea), a Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) with another possible and one of those confusing Syrphus hoverflies.
Here are a few images from this afternoon in order that I photographed them.
Two Common Carder Bees on a teasel.
A male Common Blue.......
........with wings outstretched.
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Shame about the leaf in the way.
A different camera position and a clear shot of a Small Heath.
A deceased Bloody-nosed Beetle on the coastal path.
An interesting view of a Meadow Brown.
It stayed on the flower long enough for me to do a 180 and photograph it from behind.
A juvenile Wall Lizard on the steps down to Church Ope Cove from Rufus Castle.
Also on Penns Weare another "blue" butterfly.
In the grounds of St Andrew's Church a Comma.
And not surprisingly another Wall Lizard. Also a juvenile.
Quite a few of these Hornet Mimic Hoverflies (Volucella zonaria) about today.
This is the same as the one above.
Here's another though feeding on the Buddleia
One of the Syrphus hoverflies. Not sure which one though...........
.........here it is taking off.
A Speckled Wood on the Blackberries.
A Dead Head Fly (Myathropa florea) in Penn's wood.
One of the Eristalini Drone Flies...........
I believe this is a Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris).
I'm not quite sure what it was doing, but seemed very interested in this Ivy leaf!
And another individual closely resembling the one above.
Here's another one with a variation of pattern and colours.
The nymph of a Harlequin Ladybird.
And another. I wonder which colour and pattern variation this one and the one above will turn out to be!
I continuously keep finding new plants and flowers on the island......
......I think this one is Red Bartsia (Odontites vernus). More on Red Bartsia Here.