Slime Mould

From two years ago: slime mould Lycogala epidendrum growing on decaying wood.

Photo taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2010-08-15.

Shieldbugs

Pied shieldbugs, Tritomegas bicolor (Hemiptera: Cydnidae).  Distingushed from the similar Tritomegas sexmaculatus, which has recently arrived in Britain, by the shorter white 'shoulder-patches' and the pale wing-membrane at the end of the abdomen.

Photos taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2012-04-13.

Tachinid Fly

From a few days ago: a small black Tachinid fly, probably Phasia pusilla (Diptera: Tachinidae).  The flight periods for these flies are listed as late May/early June and early July to early September, but this year some flies are coming out 4 to 6 weeks early early (see here for an example).

Photo taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2012-04-13.

Cuckoo Bee

A female cuckoo bee of genus Nomada, possibly Nomada flava (Hymenoptera: Apidae), though it's not really possible to reliably identify these bees from photos alone (see here).  It's on a leaf of dog's mercury, Mercurialis perennis.

Photos taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2012-04-13.

Tachinid Fly

A Tachinid fly, probably an Estheria sp (Diptera: Tachinidae).  Identified by Chris Raper here at Diptera.info.

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2010-07-22.