Sponge Bob Square Pants

Last Monday, I spent the morning at the RSPB's Rye Meads reserve.  It's in the Lee Valley and is surrounded by urban sprawl but once in, apart from the drone of nearby traffic, you forget all that. Especially on a sunny May morning with oodles of flowering hawthorn.

The reserve is popular with photographers as Kingfishers nest in an artificial bank and regularly give great opportunities. It also has some areas of reed bed and open water.

There were quite a few insects about either feeding on hawthorn nectar or hanging about patches of nettles.

Glyphotaelius pellucidus

Myathropa florea

Nomada sp.

There were some attempts at pond dipping which resulted in lots of tiny stuff and a fair few caddis larvae.

Whilst hoiking the net out I noticed a weevil attached to the side, presumably knocked off from pond vegetation. This is Hypera conmaculata (formerly pollux) and is an aquatic weevil feeding on aquatic plants. It's a typical looking Hypera but has a glabrous (=hairless) end to its rostrum (=nose).

When googling info on this weevil, predictive text changed aquatic weevil to aquatic evil. Hence the post title.

In music news, there's a great reissue of New Order's first album, Movement, just out. I'd forgotten just how good it was. It represents a band trying to re-find themselves and come to terms with massive loss. Well worth a listen.