Snake fly

A couple of mini trips out and about today resulted in several nice photo opportunities, 
I spent most of the morning lying in the damp grass at Staplefield churchyard getting wet knees and legs photographing the very beautiful Green winged orchids for one last time this season :-( 
I am already sad at the speed this season is marching on...
After a quick lunch and with the sun still shining I set off for Oaken wood on the Surrey / Sussex border to look for wood white butterflies. Sadly, by the time I arrived the sun had stopped shining, and the Wood whites were in hiding. There were however lots of other exciting things to see including this wonderful Snake fly  ( order Raphidiidea), so called because the long neck and head resemble a snake, and not because it bites! This one is a male, because the female has a long ovipositor.  They usually fly around the tops of trees and as such are probably under recorded. 
For my extra shot today I have added a shot of the beautiful Alder moth Acronicta alni, I also found at Oaken wood just sitting on a fence post, and a shot of the orchids in the graveyard, just so all my lying around in the wet grass wasn't for nothing!!