The Insects of Beinn Bhreac

We climbed Beinn Bhreac, to the east of Ockle, on a morning in mid-August.  It was perfect weather for insects: it had rained recently, but the warmth, the bright sunshine and a light breeze had dried the land.  We didn't go looking for insects, they made their presence felt.

This dragonfly is a female Black Darter.  She was quite unafraid of our approach, and was happy enough to pose on the tip of a bracken frond for a portrait.

Particularly in the wooded valleys lower down, the air was full of Crane Flies - otherwise known as Daddy Longlegs.  They are all legs, which sometimes break off, have a haphazard flight and, when they land, manage to get tangled up in everything.  They are objects of horror when they fly indoors, but they're nothing more complicated than an overgrown fly.  One wonders what Nature designed them for, yet they must very successful at whatever it is they do as there are no less than 4,250 different species.

This Meadow Grasshopper - very appropriately - took a liking to Mrs Diary's jumper, and was quite happy to hitch a ride to wherever we were going.  Grasshoppers always look as if they have a smile on their faces.

This beautiful creature is a Magpie Moth, Abraxas grossulariata, a moth that used to be very common throughout southern Britain but is now in decline.  At the same time, it seems to be moving north, as it is increasingly found both along the west coast and in the Hebrides.

This spectacular little spider goes by several aliases, including Cross Spider, Diadem Spider, Cross Orbweaver, or just plain European Garden Spider. His smart colouration would be spectacular in any other insect, but on a spider it seems to spell out 'Danger'.  Spiders aren't insects but first cousins, belonging in the same Phylum, the Arthropoda.

There were parts of our walk where Scotch Arguses rose in clouds around our feet.  They don't look particularly special when in flight, but the minute they land the beauty of their wing pattern becomes visible.  This has been the most abundant butterfly this summer.