Bath Nature

Phasia hemiptera (male), an endoparasitic tachinid fly on a Wild Carrot flower. The hosts of this species are usually Green and Forest Shieldbugs. Until this year, I haven't seen one in Bath since 2008!
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My #Robin friend Henry eating his breakfast this morning
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My #Robin friend Henry today. His last nest failed, but his mate Celandine is having one final attempt at nesting, she is sitting on eggs while Henry brings her food.
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A few more insects from Seven Acre Wood, Newton St Loe (near #Bath) yesterday - Common Banded Hoverfly, female Beautiful Demoiselle, Four-banded Bee-grabber, and Buff-tailed Bumblebee
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A new weevil species for the #Bath area - Cleopomiarus graminis, getting busy in a Harebell flower
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Other insects from Lord's Wood, Pensford (near #Bath) - Large Alder Sawfly (a convincing Hornet mimic), European Hornet, male Beautiful Demoiselle, and female Oak Bush-cricket
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Burnt-tip Orchid (Neotinea ustulata) at Clattinger Farm, Wiltshire. Burnt-tip is now rare in Britain. It formerly grew around Bath - in 1834 botanist Charles Babington (who referred to it as 'Dwarf Dark-winged Orchis) includes records from Claverton Down and Wick. The last record for it in Bath was 1913.
#Nature #Wildlife #Orchid #Flower #Wildflower #Wildflowerhour #WildlifePhotography #NaturePhotography

Day-flying moths at Langridge, near #Bath - Six-belted Clearwing, Scabious Longhorn, Six-spot Burnet and Shaded Broad-bar
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Broad-leaved Helleborine at Langridge, near #Bath
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Hybrid of Violet and Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis × schulzei). This is the only one of its kind to have flowered in North Somerset this year. It's looking much healthier than last year, when it only produced two very small and sickly-looking flowers.
I'll hopefully be back soon to see the Violet Helleborines at this site, which were on the verge of flowering on my last visit.
#Nature #Wildlife #Orchid #Wildflower #WildflowerHour #Bloomscrolling #WildlifePhotography #NaturePhotography

Butterflies from Seven Acre Wood, Newton St Loe (near #Bath) yesterday - Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, and Green-veined White. Also saw very fleeting glimpses of Purple Hairstreak and a probable Silver-washed Fritillary.
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Orchids at White Sheet Hill, Wiltshire, yesterday - Bee, Common Spotted and Common Twayblade.
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Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), flowering at Odd Down, Bath. Probably the most common orchid species in the Bath area, it often grows on bare ground and road verges, as well as grasslands.
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My #Robin friend Henry, eating his breakfast this morning. He has just started his summer moult and has stopped singing and chatting, spending most of his time hidden in his favourite Holly bush. He still comes out for some food though, and to chase off his cheeky neighbour.
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Moths from a recent trap at Bath City Farm (1/3) - Brimstone, Alder Moth, Clouded Bordered Brindle, and Common Swift.
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Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) at Odd Down, Bath. These orchids can take several years to develop, and may only flower once in their lifetime. I sometimes find them in abundance, only for them to be completely absent the following year. The British population is largely self-pollinated, as the bee species that they specifically require for pollination is absent from Great Britain.
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Moths from a recent trap at Bath City Farm (3/3) - Peppered Moth, Pale Tussock, Treble Brown Spot, and The Shears
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Moths from a recent trap at Bath City Farm (2/3) - Grey/Black Dagger, Iron Prominent, Light Emerald, and Olive Pearl.
#Nature #Wildlife #Moths #TeamMoth #Insect #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography