The amazing bugs of Fallin Bing!

As mentioned in the previous post I have been surveying Fallin Bing for its invertebrates and have so far recorded many interesting finds.

At this time of year there are many hoverflies going about.  They are often yellow and black, looking a bit like bees and wasps, but like all true flies they only have one set of wings and don’t have long antennae.  One of the most common and distinctive is the Marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), many of which actually arrive on British shores after an incredible migration through Europe.  Hoverflies mostly feed on nectar from flowers and are important as pollinators of plants.

Another colourful nectar feeder is the Small copper (Lycaena phleas) butterfly.  I’ve been seeing them since the start of August as the second generation of these attractive little butterflies have taken to the air.  However by the end of their flight period the males can look very battered as the will vigorously defend their patch.

A Small copper butterfly resting within the meadow at Fallin Bing

Among the most familiar of the flying insects are the bumblebees and Fallin bing is rich with them because of all the flowers they can gather pollen from.  On one visit to the Bing I watched a huge Buff-tailed bumblebee queen feeding on the bright yellow Common bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) flowers.  This species has a short tongue and they struggle to reach the nectar within deeper flowers.  So instead of sticking her head into the flower tube I watched her being a bumblebee burglar and biting her way through the side of the petal to steal the nectar without helping to pollinate the flower!

Down on the ground layer there are many other bugs to be found.  I have focussed my surveys on the predatory Ground beetles and Spiders, which are very numerous all across the Bing.  The wolf spiders are so called because people used to think they hunted in packs.  In fact they are solitary hunters, but in warm sunny patches dozens can sometimes be seen scampering about.  At this time of year it is also worth looking out for females with egg sacs attached to the end of their bodies.

Another interesting group are the Jumping spiders (Family Salticidae), this time the name is more apt, since they do actually leap on their prey.  They have a row of large eyes, which gives them the best vision among the spiders, allowing them to identify prey and judge distance before jumping.  Yesterday, I was trying to identify a tiny jumping spider I had found on the Bing and to my astonishment I found it was half male and half female.  With one of the boxing glove-like appendages of a male and the other more slender like the female.  It also had one front leg with special marking that the males use to wave to females and the other was patterned as is usual for females.  This hermaphroditic form is very unusual in spiders with an estimated 1 in 17 000 showing this trait!

A jumping spider (c) Roger Key

Harvestmen are the odd looking relatives of spiders, with very long comical looking legs.  Unlike spiders they do not have a narrow waist between their two body parts and do not produce venom.  They do however also eat small insects or decaying items.  A favourite of mine is the Horn-palped harvestman (Phalangium opilio) whose male is very distinctive with horn like front limbs.  These creatures actually peak in numbers in autumn and were regularly seen during harvest time, which is where the name comes from.

Over the last few months I have been amazed by the diversity of life on Fallin Bing and I have found there is always something new and interesting to be discovered.  Why not go to Fallin Bing for a mini safari and take a look for yourself?

Niall Currie

TCV Natural Talent Apprentice