Julian Sidney
@butterflyjulian
Treasure hunting for butterflies, sometime birds, bees, dragonflies and spiders with my spotter (wife). North East Essex Photos using Fujifilm X T5 straight out of the camera
Could this be a female Bracon urinator, a species of parasitoid wasp belonging to the family Braconidae. Seen in my #wildspaces garden in North East Essex this evening. Help with an identification if I'm wrong would be great, or conformation if right. @norfolknats.bsky.social
Can anyone confirm or point me in the right direction to whether this is a Litophasia hyalipennis. Seen in our #wildspaces garden this evening. @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @chrismothman.bsky.social
Grapholita compositella, Meadow Tortrix or Triple-stripe Piercer Second generation is out in our #wildspaces garden. A beautiful little micro moth seen for a second year. #moths #irecord @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social @mothiduk.bsky.social @richardfoxbc.bsky.social
I believe we have a Large-headed Resin Bee (Heriades truncorum) using one of our bee hotels. Unlike many other bees, resin bees use plant resins and other materials to construct and seal their nesting cells as seen in the photos. We are in NE Essex, it's slowly moving N from SE England #bees
Camarota curvipennis I believe. Found this evening in our #wildspaces garden. A small, dark frit‑fly in the Chloropidae, with wings wrapped tightly around the abdomen, giving a beetle‑like appearance. UK status: uncommon @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
After finding a female Acanthiophilus helianthi, knapweed ghost in our wildspace earlier, I have now found a male and a female in our wildspace. The male flapping its wings, I presume to attract the female. She showed no interest. This is a very rare fly in the uk. @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
Our first Jersey Tiger of the year in our garden today. What a stunning moth. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social
Found a Six-spotted Burnet cocoon a few days ago in our #wildspace and today it has hatched. Another first first our #wildspace garden. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social #savebutterflies #irecordbutterflies
Came home this afternoon from a lovely few days in Norfolk to find a White Admiral in our North East Essex garden. Definitely a garden first. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social #savebutterflies #irecordbutterflies #wildspace #whiteadmiral
I believe this to be a Bryony Mining Bee Andrena florea, possibly a female. Seen this evening on a Bramble flower in our garden. Anyone confirm this ? @norfolknats.bsky.social Thanks
Very pleased to find a female Smudge-winged Knapweed Picturewing - Acanthiophilus helianthi in our #wildspace this evening which is classified as very rare by Essex Field Club. We have plenty of knapweed flowering at the moment. @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @chrismothman.bsky.social
I believe these are male (green eyes) photos 1 & 2 and female Silvery Leafcutter Bee (Megachile leachella) seen today on the sand dunes at Holme next to the sea. Any help with my id would be appreciated. @norfolknats.bsky.social
Common Copperback hoverfly (Ferdinandea cuprea) Seen today at Fring, Norfolk @hoverflyspotter.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social #hoverfly
Our first Gatekeeper of the year just seen on the Fring Estate, Norfolk @norfolknats.bsky.social @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social #gatekeeper #irecordbutterflies #saveourbutterflies
Pantaloon Bee (Dasypoda hirtipes) seen today on platform 2 on the Sheringham Poppy Line North Norfolk Railway. @norfolknats.bsky.social #miningbee
My 3 top verified moth finds of the last few weeks in and around our garden. All quite rare in Essex I believe. Blackneck (Lygephila pastinum) Lesser Banded Longhorn (Adela croesella) 3 seen Orange Beauty (Commophila aeneana) @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social #moths @mothiduk.bsky.social
Really pleased to finally get a photo to be able to nail down an id on this aggressive bee. We have a male Wool Carder Bee (Anthidium manicatum). Males are fiercely territorial and has set his patch in our #wildspaces #bees #woolcarderbee
My first Green-eyed Flower Bee (Anthophora bimaculata) in our garden this afternoon. #wildspaces #flowerbee
Red-tailed Bumblebees (Bombus lapidarius) have made a nest in one of our bird boxes this year. They are regulating the nest's temperature by fanning their wings at the opening, even though the box is out of the sun all day it is still getting very hot in this weather. @bumblebeetrust.bsky.social
Swallow-tailed Moth Ourapteryx sambucaria Just see in our garden, what a stunning moth and looks like an early emergence @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social #moths #irecord #savebutterflies #wildspaces
53 species in the trap last night, for me the biggest surprise was a beautiful Privet Hawk-moth (Sphinx ligustri). UK's largest resident Hawk-moth. What amazing detail in the intricately textured, overlapping scales of the wing. #moths @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social #savebutterflies
Trying to identify this solitary bee from my #wildspace yesterday. I think it's a male Large Scissor Bee (Sleepy Carpenter Bee) Chelostoma florisomne inspecting a bee hotel. Any other suggestions? Size about 8mm
Two-banded wasp hoverfly (Chrysotoxum bicinctum). Another first for our #wildspace today. #irecord #hoverfly @hoverflyspotter.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
Ok, all those who know Grasshoppers. Found this Nymph on a stone in the sand dunes of Walton Backwaters near Stone Point. And yes it is pink, don't expect it will survive look by the way it stood out. Question is it meadow or Lesser Marsh Grasshopper?
@jamescbr.bsky.social can you confirm if this is a Essex Skipper? I believe it is. Just seen in my garden. Saw a good dozen Small Skipper at the Naze today but no Essex
A wander around The Naze and found our first Ringlet of the season @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social #irecordbutterflies #ringlet
Need some help identifying this bee seen yesterday. Can't find these face marking in my Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Any ideas @rlewington2.bsky.social
Humming-bird Hawk-moth returned to our garden again to between the showers. #savebutterflies #irecordbutterflies #bc-cambs-essex