Wednesday
Mar022011

London Plane Tree Flowers

From a few years ago: flowers of a london plane tree, Platanus x acerifolia.  The 'x' in the latin name signifies a hybrid; in this case between the oriental plane tree, Platanus orientalis, and the American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2007-04-21.

Tuesday
Mar012011

Ichneumon Wasp

From last October: a black and yellow ichneumon wasp, possibly a Cosmoconus sp (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), but only a very tentative identification.

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2010-10-05.

Monday
Feb282011

Fritillary

From last spring: a fritillary, Fritillaria melleagris.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2010-04-17.

Sunday
Feb272011

Tachinid Fly

A spiny fly from last year's summer holday up north: a female of genus Lydella (Diptera: Tachinidae), either Lydella stabulans or Lydella grisescens.  Identification by Chris Raper and Theo Zeegers here.

Photos taken behind Highcliff, near Guisborough, North Yorkshire, UK, on 2010-08-10.

Saturday
Feb262011

Why Adobe Reader is so Slow