Ivy Visitors 26

Top of the ivy league today, the central image, is a peacock butterfly. Not a great shot as it was a way away but lovely to have it visit the ivy. The first that I have seen this month.

My ivy is mature so doesn't have many of the the classic shaped leaves. I found a newly unfurled young leaf this morning with a velvet mite on it. The little black fly is an ensign or scavenger fly. They have an important biological role as decomposers of mammal and other animal excrement.

I keep seeing these tiny Mirids, Pinalitis cervinus, and was interested to learn that they favour ivy. Another face fly and blow fly, or maybe Tachinid.

A reasonable image of the tiny gout or pest fly. Not sure which the striped bee is or the minute fly bottom right.