Crab Spider Misumena vatia with prey

These are amazing little creatures. They sit and wait on flower heads to ambush their prey, which can be as big as Bumble Bees and large Butterflies. They can change colour over a period of a week or so to match the surrounding vegetation. This is an amazing adaption they have developed in order to be a successful ambush predator. This species is found in North America and Europe where it plays an important economic role controlling so called pest species such as flies and grasshoppers. 

The bottom field with a carpet of wild grasses and yellow buttercups

Small Copper Butterfly.

 As the name suggest these are a small butterfly, and are difficult to keep track of when in flight. They blend so good into the ground at times that only for their bright colouration it would be near impossible to find. Nearly all butterflies in Ireland are seriously threatened by habitat loss, so instead of keeping your laws and grassland neat and tidy in the traditional sense of the word, why not go a bit wild and let the joys of nature enter your life " to keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering" (A Leopold)

The Comma Butterfly Polygonia c-album shown here feeding on the early flowers of a Willow.

The Comma may be a full time resident here in Ireland now especially in areas along the East coast such as Co Wexford, where it has been recorded in the last 4 years. The real test to prove if it established will be to find evidence of mating, or better still some larvae. According to UK Butterflies;the primary larval foodplants are the Common Nettle, Currents, Elms, Hops and some Willow species.

The Fracking of Fools!

    GASLAND is an award winning documentary that explains the devastating impacts on our environment when greed and power take center stage.  http://www.2gb-hosting.com/v/7ad69a300f10322f2cdda33b56b1c16d/adc0b7b5cba782e.avi.html#

Hoverfly arriving at Thistle flower

Shieldbug nymphs Bronze Shield Bug (Troilus luridus)

These nymphys were found on a gooseberry plant close to my home. The two larger ones are approx 3mm in size and the one on the bottom left has just shed its skin. They are possibly called  Bronze Shield Bugs (Troilus luridus)