The Ladybird thread (1 Viewer)

[Larry Sweetland]

Shouldn't be too difficult as I've only ever seen two species in addition to what I've observed in my garden! My main challenge is accessing suitable habitat round here, where even the woodland seems to be private - people don't like their pheasants and horses being disturbed.

I seem to have hit a wall. I visited a spot in the Forest of Dean with high hopes of lifers, and spent more than 4 hours intensively searching pine, gorse, heather, oak, and very short vegetation, with the result of finding only 13 Pine Ladybirds and no other species. Similarly hours spent searching oak and the small patch of heather habitat in Bristol has been fruitless. I don't know where to try next that's an easy day trip that might produce something I haven't seen yet 🤔.

At least the Forest of Dean site produced some nice incidental butterflies (Grizzled Skipper and Green Hairstreak) and birds (Wood Warbler, Redstart, Tree Pipit, Garden Warblers etc) while I was searching!

 

[Surreybirder]

I don't know your part of the world so I'm afraid I cannot offer any suggestions. One of my ploys is to spend some time in Ashdown Forest when I can, as there is extensive heathland. I think there could be wood ant nests, plus lots of Scots Pines. At least you saw some good birds. I haven't seen a wood warbler for many a year now.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Two lifers today! Both found at Branksome Chine (Bournemouth) : an Angle-spotted Scymnus and five Scarce 7-spot Ladybirds. Pics on UK ladybirds Facebook group.

Note to people looking for Scarce 7-spots - the white under the "armpits" of the middle pair of legs can be harder to see than the white under the "armpits" of the front legs. So if you find a specimen with a likely looking elytral pattern, DO persevere with looking for those white spots!

Note for people looking for the metasternal groove on an Angle-spotted Scymnus - I found this extremely difficult to see with a 10 x hand lens, but discovered after a lot of effort that it IS possible to see it.

 

[creaturesnapper]

A new species for me , on my recent trip to Lesbos ---Bulaea lichatschovi

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Really excited to have just found a male Oak Scymnus in Eastville Park in Bristol. A lifer for me, so my 36th species, and 33rd so far this year. Now to try and get some pics with my new camera....

This find has only come after bashing many oaks in Bristol and elsewhere. And it was in a tree I'd tried a couple of times before. Quite a large Oak with some low hanging branches at the edge of a wooded water course.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Surprising new one for the patch today: an Angle-spotted Scymnus, 29th sp for the 4x4 km patch in Bristol (pics on UK ladybirds Facebook group).

I have found virtually no suitable habitat for it on our patch, but it was swept from a very small area of low sparse veg on the slope up from the M32 where I've been finding Adonis Ladybird and commoner grassland species.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Finally scored my yearlist nemesis today, Cream-spot Ladybird. Found one in larval form in a Sallow on the Bristol patch. So that's #34 for the year...which is just 2 shy of my lifelist now.

I still won't be completely satisfied until I see a proper adult Cream-spot before the end of the year, but it's woken me up to looking at ID features on larvae in a bit more depth.

 

[Surreybirder]

An unexpected 'lifer' for me - a cream-streaked ladybird in the middle of Lingfield village. I've been trying to keep an eye on a row of larches (most of which I cannot access). I found this larva on one of the few branches that overlaps the public pavement.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

An unexpected 'lifer' for me - a cream-streaked ladybird in the middle of Lingfield village. I've been trying to keep an eye on a row of larches (most of which I cannot access). I found this larva on one of the few branches that overlaps the public pavement.

Nice one Ken, hopefully you'll get to see adults too soon in the same tree.

I'm only just starting to get to grips with larvae, and I too found what I think was a Cream-streaked larva in a pine this morning. The only adult I found in that tree today was a Cream-streaked, but it's a tree that's produced a few species on previous visits, including lots of Harlequins and Cream-streaked.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Eyed Ladybird from a larch in Bristol today. Quite pale, so presumably not long emerged 🙂

 

[Surreybirder]

Following my discovery of a cream-streaked larva, featured a few posts ago, on a larch tree in our village (on the pavement outside the BT Openreach former telephone exchange!), I went back a few days later. I asked an engineer in the establishment if I could look for insects in the larch trees as there are very few such trees locally. She said, 'Knock yourself out,' so I took that as a 'yes'.
After extensive searching and only finding one 7-spot pupa, I had one final look from the public pavement, where a couple of small branches hang over the fence, and where I had found the original larva. This time I found a pupa, which I brought home. That hatched (if that's the term) yesterday. It hasn't really coloured up but I decided to take the ladybird back so that it stands a chance of finding some aphids.
So I was very pleased, on looking on what I think is pretty much the same twig, to find two more larvae and a much more colourful adult. The pics more or less tell the story.

 

[Owene]

Probably not an especially rare one but my first two spot. Had my first 14 spot this week too

 

[KenM]

Presume fairly regular(NELondon), however I’ve not seen one before, some sort of Harlequin?

Cheers

 

[Surreybirder]

Seems likely - was it around 6 mms long?

 

[KenM]

Seems likely - was it around 6 mms long?

Probably about right for size Ken.👍

 

[Andy Lakin]

Are Harlequins fairly obvious on size? I was just Googling the variation colour/ pattern wise and was really surprised at the differences.

 

[Surreybirder]

Are Harlequins fairly obvious on size? I was just Googling the variation colour/ pattern wise and was really surprised at the differences.

Size is certainly a good clue. Ideally, you should check out the leg colour (brown) and see if the pattern on the pronotum matches known examples.

 

[Owene]

Apps are saying kidney spot for this. Do any of you wise folks agree?

 

[Surreybirder]

View attachment 1520597

Apps are saying kidney spot for this. Do any of you wise folks agree?

Certainly looks like the pic in Roy, Brown and Lewington.

 

[Owene]

Thanks