Moth

An angle shades moth, Phlogophora meticulosa (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Photos taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2011-08-24.

Centaury

Common centaury, Centaurium erythraea.  Note the spirally twisted anthers.

The leaves look like this:

 Photos taken in Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2011-07-22.

Hoverfly

A rather grey female Eristalis arbustorum (Diptera: Syrphidae).  This must be one of females in which the orange markings are absent "resulting in some females being black with only thin white apical rims on each tergite" (Stubbs and Falk, British Hoverflies, page 289).

"The presence of a completely pale-dusted face distinguishes this species very easily." (also Stubbs and Falk, page 289).  See here for another face-on view of a female of this species.

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-07-23.

Bouncing Crane Fly

A few days ago I saw this crane fly 'bouncing' along a path in the Wilderness.  It had rained heavily the previous day and the path was soft and muddy.  The fly would repeatedly touch down in the mud, immediately fly up a few centimetres and then drop down, repeating this over and over again.  I presume it was laying eggs in the mud.  Every now and again it would stop and rest on the path a few seconds, before starting off 'bouncing' again.

A female Nephrotoma sp (Diptera: Tipulidae).

Photo taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-08-19.

Tephritid Fly

 

A female Tephritid fly, probably Terellia serratulae (Diptera: Tephritidae) on a thistle.

Terellia longicauda is very similar but in the female the oviscapus is as long as the abdomen (the ovipositor itself is retracted into the abdomen).  Terellia ruficauda is also similar but has dark markings on its wings.

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-08-19.