Spotted Longhorn

Our wildlife garden always provides some interesting species, even on days when there's no time to get out for a walk. In the warm sunshine the Purple Toadflax and Ox-Eye Daisy were humming with bees and hoverflies - among them were several cunningly camouflaged Narcissus Bulb Fly, in several different colour forms. This species is often considered a garden pest because its larvae develop inside Daffodil and Bluebell bulbs - but if you have plenty of these species it's no problem losing a few. 


Probably the highlight of my day was a Spotted Longhorn Beetle - a first for our garden - perhaps they're finally colonising the deadwood piles. And the Hogweed flowers were attracting many tiny Varied Carpet Beetles. These small but colourful beetles can be a serious household pest. The larvae, known as 'woolly bears' feed on natural fibres including carpets and clothing. Away from humans, the adult beetles often lay eggs in bird nests but they commonly get into houses and lay eggs under carpets or in cupboards. The larvae can take up to three years to develop into adults. The adults are often seen feeding on pollen while searching for a mate.