Tachinid Fly

My first Dexiosoma caninum (Diptera: Tachinidae) of the year.  Although I saw these often in previous years, I hadn't noticed before that they don't appear until mid-summer.  I suppose that, being parasites, they don't mature until their hosts become available.

Photos taken on the north bank of the large lake, Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-06-24.

Update on Mon 2011-10-17 by Tristram Brelstaff

According to here, the host for this species is possibly the larvae of the cockchafer beetle Melolontha melolontha, but is not known for certain.

Ragged Robin

Ragged robin, Silene flos-cuculi (= Lychnis flos-cuculi).  A relative of both white campion (Silene latifolia) and red campion (Silene dioica).

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-06-13.

Longhorn Beetle

Longhorn beetle Agapanthia villosoviridescens (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) on a thistle.

Photo taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2011-06-26.

Snipe Fly

A female snipe fly: Chrysopilus cristatus (Diptera: Rhagionidae).  Stubbs and Drake (British Soldierflies and their Allies, 2001) rather misleadingly have this as a 'black species' but the females are distinctly grey.  The males, however, are much darker.

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-06-24.

Moth

A small Tortrix moth, possibly Dichrorampha vancouverana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) on yarrow (Achillea millefolium). [Note added 2012-05-01: There are several other Dichrorampha species listed at UK Moths which look like this, so it is probably best to call it just Dichrorampha sp.]

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-06-24.