Tue 2012-04-17 
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.
Mon 2012-04-16 
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.
Sun 2012-04-15 
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.
Sat 2012-04-14 
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.
Fri 2012-04-13 
From a few days back: one of several male Muscid flies that were sunning themselves on the trunk of a birch tree. I took the following specimen which Nikita Vikhrev at Diptera.info identified as Phaonia fuscata (Diptera: Muscidae).
It was about 8mm long, from head to tail. Named 'fuscata' presumably because of the two darkened ('fuscate') veins on each wing (though some other Muscid flies also have these darkened veins).
First photo taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK on 2012-04-11.
