We’re six weeks in to our Garden Safari, and Jan’s note taking is starting to branch out. Not satisfied with with simply maintaining a list of species that we identify, I see her notebook is already starting to breed sections.
This one is of insects seen on a particular plant – the Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus). We have a big, sprawling plant which is covered with aphids and we guess the other insects are slurping up the honeydew.
Over a few days at the end of April and beginning of May this one plant hosted (that we noticed):
ANTS
Lasius niger – Black Garden Ant
BEES
Osmia bicornis – Red Mason Bee
BUGS
Palomena prasina – Green Shieldbug
FLIES
Calliphora vicina – Blue Bottlefly
Hydrotaea SP
Musca domestica – House Fly
Tephritis formosa
Thaumatomyia notata
HOVERFLIES
Epistrophe diaphana
Episyrphus balteatus – Marmalade Fly
Eupeodes luniger
Neoascia podagrica
Platycheirus scutatus
LADYBIRDS
Harmonia axyridis – Harlequin ladybird Ladybirds
SAWFLIES
Dolerus nigratus
SNAILS
Cornu aspersum – Garden Snail
SOLDIER FLIES
Microchrysa polita – Black-horned Gem
SPIDERS
Philodromus dispar
Pisauris mirabilis
WASPS AND ALLIES
Amblyjoppa fuscipennis
Ichneumon xanthorius
Itoplectis maculator
WOODLICE
Porcellio scaber – Common Rough Woodlouse
By the end of May 2020 we had identified just over 400 species in our garden safari, excluding plants, birds and mammals.
