For illustrated talks on natural history and history see www.peterlovetttalks.co.uk

For illustrated talks on natural history and history click here for www.peterlovetttalks.co.uk

Sunday 26 July 2015

Ichneumon wasp, Protichneumon pisorius among an orgy of Hogweed bonking beetles, living up to their name yesterday in Friston Forest, East Sussex, UK

 This Ichneumon wasp, Protichneumon pisorius was feeding among an orgy of Hogweed bonking beetles, yesterday in Friston Forest, East Sussex.
 It lays its eggs inside Hawkmoth caterpillars.  The Ichneumon larva eats the Hawkmoth caterpillar alive, which eventually pupates and out comes the Ichneumon; source Insects of Britain and Western Europe by Michael Chinery.
 My aspiration for yesterday was to find and photograph Broad-leaved Helleborines, which I failed to find.  Any suggestions for locations will be most welcomed.
Seeing this insect was some compensation.
 Another serendipitous photo' of a stripy insect (that I have yet to identify) was a tiny insect (enlarged below) -- another Ichneumon with a very long ovipositor for boring into rotting wood to find host caterpillars for its eggs.


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