Propylea quattuordecimpunctata 方斑瓢蟲

Common name: Fourteen-spot Ladybird
Scientific name: Propylea quattuordecimpunctata 方斑瓢蟲
Genus: Propylea 龜紋瓢蟲屬
Family: Coccinellidae 瓢蟲科, ladybirds
Suborder: Polyphaga 多食亞目, non-water beetles and weevils 象甲, 象鼻蟲
Order: Coleoptera 鞘翅目, beetles

Remarks: The 14-spot ladybird is bright yellow with up to 14 rectangular black spots on the wing cases; these spots are variable in shape and may become fused to create a chequered 方格的 pattern. It can be distinguished from the smaller, but similar, Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata 廿二點瓢蟲, 22-spot ladybird by its more rectangular, merging spots.

Adults and larvae feed on soft-bodied insects, typically aphids and whiteflies but also mites, caterpillars and insect eggs etc. They occur on a very wide range of broadleaf trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants generally, in fact anywhere that can provide a sufficient prey population. Adults can also feed on pollen and nectar and may be found on a variety of flowers, perhaps more particularly umbels, in warm weather. It has a long hibernation period, emerging as late as May to breed.

Status: Widespread. This is the only species of the genus to occur in the U.K. It is common or abundant throughout England and Wales north to the Scottish borders and including all the islands. In Scotland there are records scattered north to Inverness including a few from the Western Isles. There are records scattered throughout Ireland. The species occurs from lowlands to subalpine regions in a wide range of habitats; forests, arable land, parks, gardens and wasteland etc.

Date:  13th April

(40) 14 rectangular spots fused together to create a chequered pattern.

Eristalis pertinax

Common name: Tapered Dronefly
Scientific name: Eristalis pertinax
Genus: Eristalis 管蚜蠅屬
Family: Syrphidae 食蚜蠅科、碧玉蚜蠅科, hover flies, flower flies
Suborder: Brachycera 短角亞目
Order: Diptera 雙翅目, true flies

Remarks: A large Eristalis, easily distinguished from the similar-sized E. tenax and E. simils by the orange coloured front and mid tarsi. E tenax also has entirely dark, swollen hind tibia and stripes of dark hairs on the eyes. Males of pertinax have particularly pointed (tapered) abdomens. 

The rat-tailed larvae have been found in farmyard drains and other organically-rich pools, though no doubt use a variety of water bodies including woodland pools and ditches.

Status: E. pertinax is a widespread, often abundant hoverfly that can be found in a wide range of habitats but perhaps especially woodlands and wetlands. It flies from March to November and visits many sorts of flowers. Spring males hover for protracted periods, seemingly defending small territories and can be especially noticeable in woodland rides and gardens in spring. Summer males hover much less frequently.

Date: 31st March (Female, Male) & 7th April (Male) 

Female:

(43) Female has much smaller eyes, placed farther apart.

(43_1) The presence of vena spuria (actually a fold rather than a true vein), the line cuts through the middle of the wing but then peters out, and the false margin, the veins don't extend out to the outer edge of the wing, makes hoverflies different from other flies. 

Note the presence of loop in the longest vein indicates that it belongs to a group of hoverflies whose larvae live in water and are called rat-tailed maggots.

39

(39_1) Note the orange coloured front and mid tarsi (blue circle) (vs black front and mid tarsi of E. tenax, common dronefly). Also note the half orange, half black coloured hind tibia (red circle) (vs entirely dark, swollen tibia of E. tenax, common dronefly).

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Male:

(196) (taken on 7th April) Male hoverfly has bigger eyes which come closer together at the top of the head. 

(195)  (taken on 7th April) Male Eristalis pertinax have a particularly pointed abdomen.

(76)

(76_1) Note again the orange coloured front and mid tarsi (blue circle) (vs black front and mid tarsi of E. tenax, common dronefly). Also note the half orange, half black coloured hind tibia (red circle) (vs entirely dark, swollen tibia of E. tenax, common dronefly).

(89)

(89_1) Note again the orange coloured front and mid tarsi (blue circle) (vs black front and mid tarsi of E. tenax, common dronefly). Also note the half orange, half black coloured hind tibia (red circle) (vs entirely dark, swollen tibia of E. tenax, common dronefly).

(96) Washing front legs?

(77) Washing the mid and hind legs?

(92) Washing the extended proboscis with front legs? 

(90) Busy washing front legs and proboscis? See how the proboscis is extended and retracted.

Bibio marci

Common name: St Mark's Fly
Scientific name: Bibio marci
Genus: Bibio 毛蚋屬
Family: Bibionidae 毛蚋科, St Mark's flies
Suborder: Nematocera 長角亞目
Order: Diptera 雙翅目, true flies

Remarks: The St Mark's fly, or 'hawthorn fly, is a very common, long, shiny, black fly that can be found in large numbers during the spring around woodland edges, fields and wetlands. It is so-called because it emerges around St Mark's Day, April 25th. It hangs in the air over the vegetation, drifting along with its legs dangling underneath it. Large numbers of adults can be found in woodland edges, hedgerows, fields and wetlands.

The larvae live in the soil feeding on roots, grasses and rotting vegetation, and are often found around compost heaps. The adults feed on nectar and are considered to be important pollinators for fruit trees and other plants.

Status: Common

Date: 13th April 

All the photos below are male with large bulbous eyes (vs smaller head bad eyes in female)

194 Body black, hairy; legs all black. 

228 Pollens on the body.

231 Side view showing the legs.

227

227_1 Note the front tibia 脛節 with a pair of large spurs (vs front tibia with a circlet of small spines in Dilophus)

124

123

Lilioceris lilii 百合負泥蟲

Common name: Lily Beetle
Scientific name: Lilioceris lilii 百合負泥蟲
Genus: Lilioceris 長頸金花蟲屬
Family: Chrysomelidae 金花蟲科, leaf beetles
Suborder: Polyphaga 多食亞目, mainly non-water beetles, weevils 象鼻蟲
Order: Coleoptera 鞘翅目, beetles

Remarks: Red lily beetle has become the lily growers’ nemesis; the adults and larvae can devour a lily (Lilium 百合屬 and Cardiocrinum 大百合屬 spp.) or fritillary (Fritillaria 貝母屬 spp.) plant in a matter of days. During the past decade it has been consistently one of the top ten pest problems reported to the RHS Members’ Advisory Service. Results from the olfactometer experiments indicate that in the spring female beetles are able to locate lilies by odour alone, and that the beetles preferentially move towards the odour of plants already infested with other beetles.

Status: The lily beetle is not native to the UK. Originally native to parts of Asia the lily beetle has spread gradually since the nineteenth century over most of Europe, North Africa and Asia, this spread being accelerated in recent decades by the international movement of horticultural products. 

It was first noticed at the end of the 19th century, with a handful of short-lived infestations. It was not until 1939 that an established colony was discovered in Surrey. By the late 1950s the beetle had become widespread in Surrey and was also found in Berkshire. By 1990 it was found in Hampshire, Middlesex, Wiltshire, Dorset, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire and by the end of 2005 had been found in almost every English county. In 2002 the beetle was reported from Glasgow and Belfast. Continued reports to the RHS indicate that the beetle is established and spreading in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Date: 11th April

222_1 Head, antennae and legs black. Pronotum 前胸背板 and elytra 鞘甲 bright red.

223_1

216_1 Mating on the leaf. Smaller male on the top and larger female at the bottom.

221_1

218_1

219_1

Chilocorus bipunctata 二星瓢蟲

Common name: Two-spot Ladybird
Scientific name: Adalia bipunctata 二星瓢蟲
Genus: Adalia 大麗瓢蟲屬
Family: Coccinellidae 瓢蟲科, ladybirds
Suborder: Polyphaga 多食亞目, non-water beetles and weevils 象甲, 象鼻蟲
Order: Coleoptera 鞘翅目, beetles

Remarks: Both adult and larvae 2-spot are voracious aphidophages and the adults are very fecund, hence their suitability as biocontrol agents on a wide range of crops worldwide e.g. cotton, peach, potato, beans etc.

Status:  It remains locally common through Europe including the U.K. but nonetheless the decline has been drastic in many areas. This decline may be due to competition with the invasive Asian Harmonia axyridis 異色瓢蟲, Harlequin Ladybird, a species known to predate the 2-spot and which has increased alongside the decline of that species. 

Date:  13th April

358_1 2 spots on  on elytra; black legs.

Chilocorus renipustulatus

Common name: Kidney-spot Ladybird
Scientific name: Chilocorus renipustulatus
Genus: Chilocorus 唇瓢蟲屬
Family: Coccinellidae 瓢蟲科, ladybirds
Suborder: Polyphaga 多食亞目, non-water beetles and weevils 象甲, 象鼻蟲
Order: Coleoptera 鞘翅目, beetles

Remarks: Both adults are larvae predate a wide range of scale insects on various trees including Oaks, Beech, birches, willows, Alder, maples and various conifers but especially Ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) and Mountain Ash (Sorbus aucuparia L.).

Status:  In the UK it is locally common throughout England and Wales, there are a few scattered records from Scotland but it is so far absent from Ireland. Typical habitats are deciduous woodland and wooded parkland but they also occur on conifers in mixed woodland and may appear on suitable trees in a wide range of habitats through the spring and summer.

Date:  6th April

048_1 2 large red spots.

Harmonia axyridis 異色瓢蟲

Common name: Harlequin Ladybird
Scientific name: Harmonia axyridis 異色瓢蟲
Genus: Harmonia 和諧瓢蟲屬
Family: Coccinellidae 瓢蟲科, ladybirds
Suborder: Polyphaga 多食亞目, non-water beetles and weevils 象甲, 象鼻蟲
Order: Coleoptera 鞘翅目, beetles

Remarks: It is predatory. It has a preference to feed on aphids but will eat other insects, including scale insects, eggs and larvae of butterflies and moths, other small insects including other ladybirds and it can be cannibalistic. There was a fear that the harlequin ladybird will out-compete some of the native aphid predators and lead to a decline in their numbers. Evidence in Britain so far is mixed with some native ladybirds showing no declines in the presence of the harlequin and others becoming less common; research is on-going. There are no means of controlling harlequin ladybirds, since any actions taken against them would also be harmful to native ladybirds, other aphid predators and other insects.

They are very variable in colour and markings. The two most common forms in UK are black with two red spots or orange with 18 black spots.

Status: The harlequin ladybird originates from Japan and has been introduced as a biological control agent around the world to control aphids. It was not deliberately introduced to Britain or Ireland, but it become established in 2004. Since then it has become widespread in England and is spreading in Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Date:  6th April

1054_1 16 modest-sized black spots (but remarkably variable, with 0-21 spots and including black forms with large red marks).

Coccinella septempunctata 七星瓢蟲

Common name: Seven-spot Ladybird 
Scientific name: Coccinella septempunctata 七星瓢蟲
Genus: Coccinella 瓢蟲屬
Family: Coccinellidae 瓢蟲科, ladybirds
Suborder: Polyphaga 多食亞目, non-water beetles and weevils 象甲, 象鼻蟲
Order: Coleoptera 鞘翅目, beetles

Remarks*: 7 small to modest-sized black spots on elytra 鞘翅 (vs 7 large spots in Coccinella magnifica, scarce 7-spot ladybird); white marks below forelegs only. (vs small white triangular marks on the underside, below both the middle and front legs in Coccinella magnifica 稀有七星瓢蟲, scarce 7-spot ladybird)

Status: This species was formerly one of the commonest ladybirds throughout Europe from lowlands to mountain areas, including the U.K., but a recent and drastic decline has occurred, in common with several other ladybirds, which is thought to be due to competition from the invasive Asian Harmonia axyridis 異色瓢蟲, Harlequin Ladybird. It occurs throughout the U.K. and remains locally common in many areas, especially in the south, although in nowhere near its former abundance.

Date:  6th April

170_1 7 small to modest-sized black spots on elytra.

100_1 (2nd April)

167_1

175

Ballota nigra 寬萼蘇、黑夏至草、黑苦薄荷

Common name: Black Horehound
Scientific name: Ballota nigra 寬萼蘇、黑夏至草、黑苦薄荷
Genus: Ballota 寬萼蘇屬
Family: Lamiaceae or Labiatae 唇形科, mint or deadnettle or sage family

Remarks: 

Origin: Archaeophyte (established before 1500 AD). It has a European Southern-temperate distribution. Archaeological evidence suggests that it is an ancient introduction, having been associated with human settlements since the Iron Age. 

Date:  28th July

555 An erect, branched, pubescent perennial, can reach up to 100cm, with unpleasant smell.

546

551_2 Stem with down folded hairs. (left side of the photo above is pointing downwards)

546_1 Leaf stalked (see the small leaves above), leaf oval-lanceolate to heart-shaped, blade 2-5cm, with crenate or dentate margin. Upper surface of leaf wrinkled.

553 Opposite leaves. Underside of the leaf pubescent (both sides of leaves are pubescent) and also showing the leaf stalk (1-3cm). Note the hairy and square stem.

554 Flowers in many-flowered inflorescence with numerous whorls.

545_1 Flowers are organized in verticillasters (輪狀聚傘花序), subspherical to about one-sided, with 15 to 30 flowers. Each verticillaster consist of two condensed dichasial cymes (二岐聚傘花序) at axils of normal leaves. Note the brown calyx funnel-shaped, with 5 broad, more or less equal teeth.

550 The flower bud. Note the inflorescence (described in the above photo already).

550_1 The funnel-shaped calyx and the 5 filiform (絲狀的) bracts (Bt) below. Note the square stem (it is cut by some animals? in the above photo) 

551

551_1 There are 5 filiform bracts of each flower.

547

548

547_3 Flower bud. Note the brown calyx funnel-shaped, with 5 broad, more or less equal teeth.

547_2 Corolla reddish manuve.

547_1 Flower with 2 lips. The upper one is slightly concave, like a hood, and hairy externally. The lower one is glabrous, with 2 minor lateral lobes and a major central bifid lobe.

548_1 4 didynamous (二強雄蕊的) stamens, with glabrous filaments (Ft) and yellow anthers (Ar) (it is not yellow at the stage in above photo) One style (Se) with a 2-parted stigma (Sa).

Limonium vulgare 歐洲補血草

Common name: Common Sea-lavender
Scientific name: Limonium vulgare 歐洲補血草
Genus: Limonium 補血草屬
Family: Plumbaginaceae 白花丹科, 藍雪科, leadwort, plumbago family

Remarks*:

Origin: native

Date: 23th Aug

253 An erect perennial, can reach up to 40cm.

255 Top view of the plant showing the leaves and leaf stalks.

243 The leaf stalks.

242 Upper surface of the leaf.

241 Lower surface of  the leaf.

241_1 Enlarged underside of the leaf showing the leaf is pinnately veined.

256_1 Leaf tip with short recurved (curved back or downwards) spine (Se).

239 Showing the leaf-like structures at each branches.

240 Showing the leaf-like structures at each branches. A bit lower position than the previous photo.

244 Flowers in dense, rather flat-topped inflorescence.

238 The spike.

237 Spikelets are densely close to each other. (vs spikelets are sparsely spread along in Limonium humile, lax-flowered sea-lavender)

238_1 The spike is composed of 1-5 spikelets densely packed together. Lateral view of the spikelet showing bracts (Bo, Bi), calyx (Cx), petals (Pl), yellow anthers and stigma (Sa). There are 3 bracts of each spikelet, outer bract (Bo), middle bract (could not be seen above) and inner bract (Bi). 

237_1 Another spike.

237_2 Enlarged photo showing the outer bract (Bo) and inner bract (Bi). Middle bracts could be seen above.

258

232_1 Lateral view of the flower showing the calyx, purple petals, yellow anthers and white stigma. (vs red anthers in Limonium humile, lax-flowered sea-lavender)

231_1 5 petals, 5 stamens with yellow anthers, 5 white stigma.

258_1 2 fully opened flowers. Note the flower bud at the bottom left of the above photo.