Beside the Path 5

The bright yellow flower heads of Winter Cress (Barbarea vulgaris) make a bright splash of colour now the Dandelions are ending their first blooming. The day I went for the walk they had attracted dozens of flying insects that were competing for mates among the petals – all small Ichneumon wasps (Amblyteles armatorius) which are solitary parasites that inject their eggs in other species to develop. Online close-up image below.

Ichneumon fly Amblyteles armatorius (Hymenoptera)

 Category: BIODIVERSITY, FLOWERS, INSECTS, NATURE, SPRING, WAYSIDE      Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

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