Ladybird pupa

Helen recently mentioned that she had dug up some moth pupae which had wriggled away to try to find shelter again. At the time I had been surprised since I tend to think of the pupal stage as a static one with the creature inside broken down to a sort of soup from which it reassembles itself as the adult insect. It was only with hindsight that I recalled that the pupal stage of some ladybirds are supposed to raise themselves up in a threatening defensive posture when touched. So off I went today to try it out – and it worked.

Museum Beetle

I have previously featured the Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) on this blog but never the slightly smaller Museum Beetle (Anthrenus museorum) which I found today on a Mock Orange flower. This is a pest of museum collections where its larvae feed on materials containing chitin and keratin such as dried specimens.

Lilies

Two of my lilies – Elfin Sun and Orange Pixie – began to flower today.

A Leech

I cannot recall having seen a leech for years but I netted one in the pond today while clearing out some duckweed.






I think this is a Horse Leech (Haemopis sanguisuga) which, despite its name, does not feed on mammal blood but on snails, midge larvae and worms. They are common under stones near the banks of lakes and in ponds and ditches, often just under the water surface.