The streets are filled with debris...

 ... well, not the streets exactly, more of the fields surrounding the River Ouse just north of our village.

Having spent most of yesterday gardening, we decided to tear the kids away from screens and do a six mile loop around our local fenland today. What was underwater 10 days ago was now just wet, and more importantly covered in a fair amount of flood debrisand I took a couple of bags of it back home with me. The first sieving revealed three species of invert and the rest of the debris is now in my extractors in the shed awaiting perusal over the next couple of days.

First up was the most commonly encountered of the inconspicuous ladybirds, Coccidula rufa. 

I also found this Tachyporus which keys to T. chrysomelinus. It has the much longer hairs on the sides of the elytra. It's a common one but not one I've recorded before, so if confirmed is the first new beetle of 2021. Ten whole days.... better pick the pace up.

There was also this interesting bug which at 5.5mm stood out somewhat. I assumed it was a nymph and so appealed for help. I soon got an ID and it's one I could have got to myself had I made the effort (note to self!). It's in fact an adult Ischnodemus sabuleti  aka the European Cinchbug. There are two distinct common forms, one with short wings (micropterous) the one that I found and also one with long wings (macropterous). They have been expanding north over recent decades but it was entirely new for me.

On my return home, a quick look at the compost heap revealed lots of ptilids and tiny aleochs which I mostly ignored but did take a few for future examination. There was also one of my favourite garden beetles doing its thing in the dried grass. Mycetaea subterranea aka the Hairy Cellar Beetle.

The post title comes from the opening line of one of my favourite albums from 2020. It's the opening and title track from Keeley Forsyth's debut album, Debris. A stunning creation and well worth a listen.

Small and brown

I picked up a couple of other beetles yesterday whilst on the walk, both were small.......and brown.

The first was one of a mating pair of flea beetles and the wee fella's wee fella was literally hanging right out. On closer inspection the aedagus took up a considerable part of the abdominal cavity and really is quite something to behold. 

The beetle in question is Neocrepidodera transversa and at 4mm was fairly easy to key out. But as it was a flea beetle I knew immediately which family it was in and where to begin my search. The other beetle wasn't quite so easy.

I went all round the houses with this 2.8mm beetle. I eventually asked for a pointer on family and was told to look at the Coccinellidae. It's only a blooming ladybird. From there, it's easy. Coccidula rufa, the Red Marsh Ladybird and one of the inconspicuous ladybird species. This one likes wet habitats where it feeds on aphids. It's very widely distributed so perhaps surprising that I'd not come across one before.