Nomada flavoguttata

[JRsbugs]

Hi,

I spent a long time finding out what this one is! I first saw the female on 9th May and got two pics, then got a few pics on 10th and 11th. She was such a tiny thing ~6mm, each time she landed she would go under a leaf or behind something to clean up then take off again. She was interested in a very small hole at the side of a stone but I haven't seen who it belongs to. I had more than one small Andrena species about, and males which were all small with one being only ~7mm.

The male I found floating in the bird bath on the 12th May, I fished him out and he recovered after a while. He seemed to pick up when I put him on my finger, the warmth probably helped. I placed him on a Geranium leaf, he didn't touch the leaf as the hairs (highly magnified) on the leaf held him up! Once the sun shone briefly he was off.

Janet

Female..



Male...

[Dillybythesea]

Great to see and read about, Janet! Thank you! It's a shame nothing seemed this fascinating in school, all those many, many years ago! ATB Rhona

[JRsbugs]

Hi Rhona,

I read on the Nature Conservation Imaging site that these are quite common in gardens. It's the first time I have seen any! I might have found what it was sooner if I had gone to that site for a start but I don't often look in the garden section, lesson learnt. Now if anyone else sees one they might find it easier to ID, there are others similar but with some differences and of course size is a good indicator so it was all educational to me by looking for it.

I think some schools now teach a little more about nature, but it would in my view be a good idea to engender an awareness of what is around us and how to look after it. My education was lacking in this area too, how different things might be if we were taught about the fauna (not just the bigger obvious vertebrates) as well as the flora as they go hand in hand. School would be so much more interesting!

I actually did have a much bigger Andrena on the 12th, a gigantic male which landed on the top of my Forsythia Fiesta which is not so tall but well above my head. It was well over 15mm long, had to be easily 17mm! I pulled the branch down with one hand and took pics with the other, at close range with a macro lens that is not easy for such a big insect but I got some good pics despite the wind. Now what on earth can be that size! I am usually spot on with my estimates, I put a tape next to the male Nomada and it was as good as 6mm or a fraction under which I had estimated. I'll have to post the gigantic male later..

[Dillybythesea]

Hi Janet, Well you've certainly got me looking for Nomada flavoguttata now. Normally I've learnt to shy away from the tinies as my camera wouldn't manage anything good enough for ID, but with such clear pics now available for comparison...

I totally agree re children and the importance of understanding nature and conservation. And I think the interest might almost be instinctive when young (My Family And Other Animals-ish) but needs to be better engaged and harnessed, so they hold onto it.

With your very splendid Andrena giganticus, you don't think it could be A. trimmerana ?

[JRsbugs]

Hi Rhona, I noticed some reddish colouring between the tergites on the big male Andrena, I will have to check out A. trimmerana on Saunders (link to book on BWARS resources with Andrena starting on page 223), I was looking at that last night to find out sizes and the biggest one mentioned was a very rare Andrena (can't remember which but it emerged later) which was 14-16mm, however that is old. It's difficult to imagine a male that size but it was, I'm very used to mentally judging sizes. I had a big weevil on the wall recently, I judged it to be spot on 15mm to snout end, as it was sat there I measured it and it was spot on!

I saw Nomada flavoguttata again today, after our usual brief 10 minutes of sun breaking through it turned very dull, windy and chilly again but I was still looking out for insects. I noticed an end of a Lupin leaflet looked dried and stuck together, so I lifted it slightly to see what was there. Out tumbled this tiny Nomada onto it's back, it soon righted itself and flew.

[Dillybythesea]

It must be practice makes perfect, then, with judging sizes!

(I'm still doing mental gymnastics: think imperial, translate, get confused with the decimal point, back up... )

ATB, Rhona