Bugs

Once again the wildlife seems to be coming to us, rather than us having to go and find it. Today saw this little black beetle crawling on our patio door frame.

Closer inspection reveals it to be a Ladybird. I think it is a Kidney-spot Ladybird (Chilocorus renipustulatus) but if anyone knows otherwise, please let me know. The Kidney-spot Ladybird feeds on scale insects on deciduous trees and shrubs, so is, like all Ladybirds, a good friend to the gardener.
Looking around the garden I found another Hoverfly, very different to the one I talked about a few days ago. This one rejoices in the name of Eupeodes corollae. A catchy name for this elegant Hoverfly.

It appears that this the male of the species as it's eyes are closer together than the female. Another friend of the gardener as it too feeds (in it's larval stage) on aphids and scale insects. The adults feed on nectar, in this case on our Pyracanther.