The Ivy

.. is the name of a famous London eatery. It's also a vital resource for insects - and therefore insect-eating birds - as the year comes to a close. Friday was sunny much of the time, and the ivy plants on the bridge over the bief were swarming with insects.

What I know about insects could be written on a very small postage stamp, but Tim helped me with the identification, as far as the family level anyway. One critter defeated us both completely, my thanks to Susan for identifying it. There were some very striking animals among the ones we saw and I can understand the fascination that insects have for so many people.. Here are a few.

1. Ivy bee - Colletes hederae

Colletes hederae is a  recent addition to the list of European bees, being described as new to science in 1993. It was first recorded in Britain in 2001. Appropriately, it is collecting ivy pollen.

2, Colletes hederae

3. Colletes hederae

4. Tapered Drone Fly eristalis pertinax, male

5. Tachinid - Ectophasia crassipennis (male)

6. Ectophasia crassipennis

7. Ectophasia crassipennis

8. Ectophasia crassipennis

9. Left -  Ectophasia crassipennis   Right - drone fly eristalis sp

10. As above, lightened

11. Episyrphus balteatus - the marmalade hoverfly

12. Milesia crabroniformis

13. Milesia crabroniformis

14. Drone fly eristalis spp (centre) with another small fly, probably Amphidae

15. Drone fly eristalis sp

16. The German wasp or European Wasp,  vespula germanica, la guêpe germanique, and a friend

The ivy canteen

At this time of year, Ivy [Hedera helix] le lierre is in full bloom.
We have a fine specimen on the bridge over the bief which is enjoying the unseasonable sunshine and warmth. Its many flowers provide an invaluable resource for bees, hoverflies and other insects that go particularly for the nectar, topping up the sugar levels in preparation for winter.

Even today, an overcast, humid November day, the ivy is busy with insects. No bees today, but plenty of flies, solitary wasps and beetles.

I hope someone may help me identify them!

A view from a bridge

Homing in

The closer you get, the more you can see

Closer still...

And the nectar-lovers are prey to the next level in the food chain - birds, lizards and spiders are lining up to be served. We have seen tits, robins, redstarts, wagtails and chiffchaffs diving in and out of the cloud of insects, snapping up the diners.

Meanwhile, the cats look on, more in hope than in expectation... maybe there will be a midair collision?

All through the year, the dense evergreen foliage provides shelter from wind and rain for small birds, insects and bats. Wrens are particularly fond of ivy as a roost.

In late winter, when other food is scarce, there will be juicy black berries which the blackbirds and thrushes love.

We've torn down this ivy more than once, but it has always grown back. Ivy quickly becomes too much ivy, and smothers more delicate plants, not to mention the damage its weight and clinging roots do to rendered walls. But we always leave some to flower - for the entertainment value alone!

21/11/2001 - A movement of Cranes

We had three successive flights of Common Crane [Grus grus] Grue cendrée name over yesterday. Plus another two at least that we heard but didn't see. It is the latest we've seen them [it is after all almost December!!] and this is an entry just to put the fact on record.
[And to allow me to put some new pictures up....]

Stacking cranes.
This was the first flight of nine.

Six of Nine

Nine of Nine

Stacked - ready to glide

A thin ribbon of twenty cranes.... the second flight.

The third flight [14 individuals]....
the best shot of this bunch..
the autofocus on the camera was having great difficulty staying in touch!!

But the weather is very strange at the moment... the weather hit a balmy 19.6 Centigrade yesterday too! On Sunday we saw butterflies, Clouded Yellow [Colias crocea] le Souci being quite notable with its egg-yolk yellow colouring... and the Ivy [Hedera helix] Lierre is still alive with late feeding insects. All these insects are really quite important... the bats are still around!!

In the potager we are getting sprouts, still, from our "Tender-stem" brocolli. We've had a late crop into November before, but these are still producing a two servings worth a week in the fourth week of November!
There are still numerous wild flowers around.... most obvious are the Nettle-leaved Bellflower [Campanula trachelium] Campanule Galantelée and also Knapweeds, Scabious and Meadow Clary [Salvia pratensis] Sauge des Prés. But it also means that the trees I need to work on this winter are not yet dormant... oops! But, still, I've plenty to keep me going on the bricolage [D.I.Y.] side

The teasers were...

As guessed, Wotisit one was a plant.. or what was left of it. An old Ivy [Hedera sp.] trunk and here it is...

You just have to ask...
Is the wall holding the ivy up?
or...
Is the ivy holding up the wall?

Number two was a section of a very small, but pretty snail [so close Susan... 'twas a mollusc] and isn't it pretty?....

In a whorl of its own! [Only 8mm across!]

Number three was the abdomen of a fabulous "garden"  or Orb Web spider Araneus diadematus

This is the 'view' of the back of the abdomen.

And this is it from the front!

I hope that the arachniphobes out there have picked themselves up!!

Wotisit Four was the thorax, as Susan guessed, the 'giant' hoverfly Melissa crabroformis

I love the "tribal mask" that the pattern on the thorax makes!