And the lovely silver traces

I've been in a bit of a spotify wormhole of late. Whilst peering down the microscope each evening to look at beetles I tend to have music on. I've been listening to all sorts of stuff but the album that has been getting the heaviest rotation over the last couple of weeks is Desertshore by Nico. Arguably (by me at least) her best work, it's an eclectic mix of Gothic folk and Teutonic chanting. Powerful stuff and otherworldy to boot.

Anyway, it provides a suitable counterpoint for a post all about the joys of spring and blossom!!

There's lots of it out at the moment. The fruit tree blossom is staged depending on fruit (plums first) and then type (apple strains are separated by 2-3 weeks).

lovely silver traces...

The main apple tree is in fine form at the moment but weirdly doesn't seem to attract as many beetles as other types. That might just be an artifact of there being so much of it that the beetles are dispersed over far more flowers, many well out of reach.

The hawthorn has just started to open. There are only a few branches in full flower but as the days progress more and more will open.

I've been giving it a bit of a tap over the last couple of days to see what's about. The most numerous beetles has been the dreaded genus Anaspis. I say dreaded because I've taken a quick look at these before and been scared away by the completely nightmarish keys. Anyway, this week I decided to have a crack at the two species turning up in my samples.

I went wrong quite easily and ended up at the wrong species mainly I think because I tried to identify females which are much harder. Once I had been pointed in the direction of the males abdominal sternite appendages then it made things a bit easier.

This was the species that initially threw me. Anaspis maculata.

Turns out the shape of the projections (the raised oblong like bits) are the clincher.

The second species was much easier and keyed relatively easily to Anaspis garneysi.

There were a couple of other species new for the year too, including the first soldier beetle.

Cantharis decipiens

..and this hairy individual.

Dasytes aeratus

Whilst beating I also found this Horse-chestnut leaf-miner. I don't normally pay them much attention but they are actually beautiful looking moths on close inspection.

Another new beetle species turned up whilst tidying up the veg patch. Phyllotetra ochripes.  It has almost completely yellow legs (except hind femora) and at 2.4mm is smaller than similar species.

There was also a brief flyby of the longhorn Grammoptera ruficornis, these will be in abundance in the next week or so. I can't wait.

I'll leave you with this piece of awesomeness.