Oh, the weather's against us

As predicted, today was cold and wet. That and the fact that it was a work day and my back was playing up has meant that I didn't leave the house. Not sure the last time that happened.

The last time I ran the moth trap, there were a couple of bits of bycatch. I've not recorded a carrion beetle yet this year and this time was no different. However right at the bottom and in amongst the dust and scales was a single female Acrotrichis fascicularis.

There was also this small ichneumon wasp which with some help from experts on a Facebook page I now know is Ophion minutus. It was very much smaller than the other Ophion species I get early in the year.

There was also this tiny thing sat atop an egg carton, which even after I looked at it under the microscope I was convinced was a micromoth. Turns out I was completely off and it is in fact a caddisfly! Most probably Hydroptilia sparsa.

Right back to the microscope for the beetle backlog. Today's blog title inspiration comes from Foals. Great video too