NEWS FROM THE MEADOWS - 01. April 2021

On the following photograph ...

... you can see a mating pair of Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata lady beetles ...

... unlike most other ladybirds which feed on aphids, this small species eats mildew - a form of mold - related fungus, on the leaf's surface.

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I found two minuscule yellow eggs nearby, glued to the leaf of grass ... but these aren't lady beetle's eggs ...

... the Cereal leaf beetle (Oulema melanopus) has produced those ...

... this species can be a pest on cultivated cereals, but here it feeds and reproduces on wild oat (Avena fatua) that grows abundantly on these self seeding meadows with a nice variety of plants.

A bit further, another mating is going on ...

... these are the iconic, kind of "classic" lady beetles of the Coccinella septempunctata species.

They and their larvae feed mainly on aphids ... and although I found many aphid groups and colonies in the fresh green grass ...

... I decided to photograph this solitary one ... because I liked the composition of the shot, kind of stylish :) minimalist stuff. This is the Sitobion avenae aphid that feeds on sap of wild and cultivated cereals. These aphids are very small ... but some even smaller green creature can be found in this warm and humid, springtime weather ...

... this is a springtail ...

... the Sminthurus viridis springtail ... that feeds mainly on the surface cells of leaves, on the clover leaf in this case.

The color of the Sitobion avenae aphid can vary, here you can see a larger and darker, winged one. The majority of aphids are wingless, but winged forms are produced at certain times of year in many species ... and that's a great way to spread the species and conquer new territories.

This springtail, also of the Sminthurus viridis species, is slowly crawling among the yellow petals ...

... of the Hypochaeris radicata flower. Many flies land from time to time on these flowers ...

... this is The common green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata) that feeds mainly on carrion and feces, various organic garbage and decomposing plant materials ... but on nectar and pollen as well.

This hover fly ...

... the Melangyna labiatarum ...

... feeds exclusively on flowers.

Some steps further, while walking through the grass ...

... I noticed this black fly that I never saw before ... and I didn't notice just one, there were quite a few of them resting on the long leaves ...

... and now, after a long exhausting Internet search through many Diptera Families, I can proudly tell you - that I don't know what fly this is. Maybe something from the Sphaeroceridae Family, commonly known as lesser dung flies ... maybe ... very, very maybe.

I photographed this minuscule snail immediately after the mysterious black flies ... and then ...

... I saw another fly, and this time I can tell you the exact species. This is the very small & pretty colorful Thaumatomyia notata. These flies feed on nectar of flowers and various other sweet liquids and excretions. Although Thaumatomyia notata can be defined as minuscule, the fly on the following photograph ...

... is considerably smaller. Looks like a female of some Polypedilum midge. Males have larger, feathery antennae. I don't know the exact species, but it's a midge, that's pretty sure.

I don't know the name of this long-legged species ...probably from the Dolichopodidae family, commonly known as Long-legged flies ... and probably in this case it's just a slightly more confident version of maybe. I took this photograph using the flash, to accentuate details and colors of the insect ... but on the following shot ...

... I wanted to accentuate the beautiful natural light of that sunny morning.

Here you can see a true bug for a change ...

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... the very common and widespread European firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus) ...

... resting on the long blade of grass.

This furry jumping spider, I don't know the species - quite a few similar looking ones are present in the area, was patrolling the surrounding leaves.

Here you can see a very different kind of arachnid, that waits patiently for his source of food ... that could be me, ad example. This is the Ixodes ricinus tick.

With this shot the focus goes back on the flowers ... and flies ...

... here you can see some fly from the Empididae Family feeding on daisy flower.

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This is some minuscule fly, probably from the Dolichopodidae Family, on the Hypochaeris radicata flower ... on the following photograph ...

... the fly is feeding her feet ... and you can take a look at her mouth parts, that are longer than the first shot was suggesting.

Bees also regularly visit these flowers ... this is some wild, solitary bee, I don't know the exact species. It's approximately the size of a domestic bee, and after a portion of nectar on the flower ...

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... the insect landed on the leaf of grass, and started to clean its legs ...

... a bit of lovely yellow powder remained there, attached to the grass ...

... when the bee flew away. I saw these traces of pollen, far from any flower, many times ... and now, I finally saw how exactly they are created. And that's all for today, as always in these posts on HIVE, the photographs are my work.