Little stripy fellow -I found it at the car park at work where he was trying to cross the road. He probably wouldn’t have made it, so I picked him up and put into a little meadow nearby.
Cinnabar moth caterpillar - I used to see so many of these "tiger tails" we used to call them when Ragwort was more common. Their food has now been removed from many places - a joy to see here @Big Blue Sky
Never thought ants, aphids and ladybirds could be so interesting. I'm getting obsessed and keep stopping work to go out and watch them with a magnifying glass. These 4 ladybirds have been in roughly the same position on cosmos plant for the past 2 days, apart from brief flurries of activity when one dashes to a stem and starts eating the aphids. The ants defend their farm and try to attack, but can't quite manage to get to the bug's soft under parts. Loads more ants arrive swarming over it. LB manages to shake them off and retreat back to the leaves
Papi Joe , I just found what I thought was a young grasshopper, but with a yellow stripe down the back and very long antennae. I think it is a Southern Oak bush cricket. I put it back on the oak. I found it on the shredder, I have been shredding this morning so it is lucky not to have gone through the machine.
Posts
Never thought ants, aphids and ladybirds could be so interesting. I'm getting obsessed and keep stopping work to go out and watch them with a magnifying glass.
These 4 ladybirds have been in roughly the same position on cosmos plant for the past 2 days, apart from brief flurries of activity when one dashes to a stem and starts eating the aphids. The ants defend their farm and try to attack, but can't quite manage to get to the bug's soft under parts. Loads more ants arrive swarming over it. LB manages to shake them off and retreat back to the leaves