Red-Eyed Damselfly

A male red-eyed damselfly, Erythromma najas (family Coenagrionidae, order Odonata).

Photos taken in Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-06-10.

Yellow and Black Longhorn Beetle

I first noticed this when a gangly yellow beetle flew across my field of view while I was trying to photograph another insect.  Michael Chinery's Complete British Insects identifies it as Strangalia maculata, but two other synonyms, Leptura maculata and Rutpela maculata, seem to be used with equal frequency out on the web.  I am not sure which is the currently recommended name.  Anyway, it is a longhorn beetle, family Cerambycidae, order Coleoptera.

Photo taken in Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-06-19.

Update on Sun 2010-06-27 by Tristram Brelstaff

According to this page at gardensafari.net:

For a long time it was known as Strangalia maculata, but was then placed in the Leptura genus.

Dagger Fly

A dagger fly (family Empididae, order Diptera), named for the thick proboscis which is used to spear insect prey as well as to suck up nectar from flowers.  Possibly Empis livida based on the light coloured thighs and comparison with photos here.  Also, it is probably a female based on its thick abdomen.  See here for another dagger fly that I photographed in May.

Yellow and Black Ichneumon Wasp

Probably Amblyteles amatorius. Surely the usual warnings about the near impossibility of identifying ichnemon wasps do not apply to this rather striking species?

Photo taken in Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-06-19.

Hoverfly

A male Leucozona laternaria feeding on hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium).  As explained here (half way down the page), male hoverflies have larger eyes than the females, and so their eyes are not separated in the way that female's eyes are.

Photos taken in Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-06-14.