Large Red Damselfly

A large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula).  The thick black bands with thin white bands indicate that this is a female. In the males the black bands are much less noticable and the white bands are absent.

There is a good species checklist of UK dragonflies and damselflies, with many photos and lots of other useful information, here at the British Dragonfly Society website.

Photo taken beside the large lake, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-05-10.

Woolly Aphids

[Note added 2009-07-04: I now think that these were psyllids rather than aphids.  See below for details.]

When I first saw these white fluffy masses I thought they must be some form of fungus, but then I noticed that one of them had legs and was walking:

These are woolly aphids, of the family Eriosomatidae in the order Hemiptera.  They secrete a filamentous waxy white covering as a defence against predators.  They also secrete droplets of sundew, several of which can been seen in these pictures.  The tree is a common alder (Alnus glutinosa).

[Note added 2009-07-04: this post by Phil Gates, a botanist at Durham University, suggests to me that these are the nymphs of psyllids, in particular Psylla alni, the alder psyllid (family Psyllidae, order Hemiptera). Psyllids are closely related to aphids and they also secrete waxy white filaments.]

Photos taken in Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-05-10.

Bumble-bee

A bumble-bee, probably a common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum), feeding on comfrey flowers.

Photo taken in Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-05-10.

Alderfly

Not a stonefly, as I previously thought, but an alderfly (order Megaloptera, family Sialidae).  Probably species Sialis lutaria on the basis that this specimen was found next to still water; the other two similar UK species of Sialis prefer running water (M. Chinery, Complete British Insects, Collins, 2005, page 108).

Photo taken beside the large lake in Reading University grounds, Reading, UK on 2009-04-26.

Caddis Fly

A caddis fly, order Trichoptera, possibly of genus Limnephilus.

Photo taken beside the large lake, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, 2009-05-03.