All systems go today as we are in Phase 3. Yippee. I went out in the car to undertakes some tasks, but failed abysmally as both people I went to see were out. At least I managed to buy a new extending pool-pole, but then had to get out 90% of my tool kit to get all the "ends" in the right place.
There are few things better than doing a job when you have all the tools to hand. My Lidl´s electric saw and drill came good, especially when I bothered to get the (No2 and Lidl´s) Workmate out.
Late last night I got involved in an email exchange with some bug-hunters (good site for anyone - Whatsthatbug.com ) - I sent them a picture of the weird beast(s) that appear about this time each year and called it "an orange-haired something". I am hopeful they will tell me what it is, but slightly apprehensive it might be something I don´t want
This was inspired by my trip over to feed Tingy yesterday when I saw the most beautiful long-tailed butterfly / dragonfly and was trying to find out what it was. I hunted through my books and eventually decided it was close to being a thread lacewing (nemoptera bipennis) - I couldn´t get a photo as it flittered in the grass, but was as close to seeing a little fairy as you can get. Gauzy wings and streamers with roundels on the end. I could not find it in my books, but then realised I had a note with almost exactly the same beast, dating
from when I had found one dead in the pool and decided it was so pretty it deserved recording (14 years ago almost to the day). Obviously I had not been totally convinced the insect in the book was exactly the same, so I had left my note in that page. I added yesterday´s date and put the note back.
Apparently some varieties are called Spoonwing lacewings. One interesting addendum to that is that the grubs of this beautiful thing are as ugly as anything you might find in a bad cheese-induced nightmare (hmm, just had cheese and no booze this evening, so watch that upload itself in my dreams). It would somehow be quite fitting if the orange-haired something turned out to be an earlier stage of the same beast (but even I don´t believe in that sort of coincidence, do I?)
Anyway, as I was in the site, I checked to see if there were any updates on things I´d noticed previously - and found a long discourse on the wasp I found in the pool last year (that pool is a real trap for interesting insects). Apparently the beast
was of major interest to an entomologist up in Valencia who had even written a paper about them as they are an invasive species from the far east (lots of those about, hey?) and it is actually a "black shield hornet", Vespa Bicolor, native to south-eastern Asia, which has been accidentally introduced into Malaga province (Spain), where it has been living for several years now". Anyway, I sent a copy of this photo to the guy and told him where and when I had found it. He replied with thanks and I am currently waiting for him to tell me whether they should be notifiable (and thus get destroyed) - possibly a response that will be a long time coming as his nom-de-plume is "Waspfan"!!
* now in "regular" correspondence with Leopoldo and it turns out that, while he is very interested in stinging / flying insects, he is all in favour of destroying these invaders. Just sent him an update 16th Dec to say seen another in pool, another around pool and one near berberis - over consecutive days. I just wonder where the nest is and how far they fly
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