Harmonia quadripunctata, the cream-streaked ladybird. Not rare, but I hardly ever see it. Deepest Surrey today. The last field visit of the year.

Cool or yuck? I think this is Dermacentor reticulatus the ornate cow tick, or marsh tick. Either it’s very localized in Britain, or there aren’t many tick recorders out there. It’s known from the West Country, Wales, and Essex. These were on the outskirts of Basildon today.

Sorry Rhaphigaster.

Britain’s largest shieldbug, Rhaphidigaster nebulosa, spreading out since its first UK discovery in Peckham in 2010. Basildon today.

A once common butterfly from my youth. Wall brown, Lasiommata mergera named for its habit of resting on brickwork. Now seriously declined and vanished from much or ifs former range in the last 40 years. The is the first one I’ve seen in at least a decade, possibly two. Basildon.

New to me. Since its British discovery in East Anglia in 1997, Sphragisticus nebulous seems to have started to spread widely. Loads near Rochester, Kent, a couple of weeks ago.

Kent Coleopterist John Parry used to wander round with one dangling from his teeth, keeping both hands free for net, knife, tubes or whatever. A dog walker seeing him commented: “Oh, you poor man, do you always have to wear that thing?”

Always check no-spot ladybirds just in case Cynegetis impunctata ever turns up in Britain. You have to look at the claws, which are not bifurcate, but simply with a small basal tooth. But as usual it’s still the slightly larger 24-spot, Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata.

Pooters? I hope pooters were involved.

Firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, just after its final moult into adulthood, but before the distinctive black markings have been laid down. East Dulwich this afternoon, part of a large colony on a street lime (linden) tree.

It’s mini, but it’s still a Bug Hunt. Tomorrow 14:00-16:00.

Why do harvestmen have long legs? Because they have no antennae. Instead they use their limbs as 8 radial trip-wire warning sensors against danger approaching from any direction.

This is now becoming a regular, firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, and like all the specimens I now see it is not apterous (wingless) but fully winged. Rochester today.

New to me, Sciocoris homalonotus, one of several, including nymphs, swept near Maidstone yesterday.

A hazel leaf cigar, it must be the leaf roll of the hazel leaf-roller weevil Apoderus coryli. This one is quite large and loose, I’ve seen them smaller and neater.

Just got bitten by Zoropsis spinimana. Picking out chicken poop from the nest box I felt a scratch on my finger tip as if I’d picked up a piece of dried thistle leaf. Very faint tingling now. Quite the novelty. I’ll let you know if swelling, necrosis or ulceration sets in.

Two extremes of tar spot fungus, Rhytisma acerinum, on sycamore today. The ‘low’ infection was 3 metres from a busy A road. It is inhibited by SO2 in the laboratory, but apparently air pollution levels show no real correlation. The ‘heavy’ infection was only 20 m from the road.

Agreed, not the best photo, but clearly Acinia corniculata, Tephritidae, once considered an endangered red data book fly species, but increased in range and abundance in the last 25 years.

First proofs of New Naturalist — Woodlice arrived. And if I’m now an old naturalist, I put my enquiring spirit down to a combination of curiosity, frivolity, and an overwhelming awe at the natural world.