Unfortunately I spent too much time trying to determine the law on the planning applications listed for our next parish meeting today, and it was very grey by the time I got Monty up to Dene Park. As on my last visit I then concentrated rather a lot on the first stretch of the ride, finding more or less the same populations as yesterday, but in addition there was my first Soldier Beetle or Cantharid of 2012.
This turned out to be Cantharis pellucida. The features fitted this species more than the other very similar Cantharids, but I was pretty sure because of the adpressed grey hairs on the elytra, the black scutellum, the bright orange of the rounded prothorax, the orangey front legs and the orange and black mid and rear legs, the black head finishing up just in front of the eyes, and the mainly blackish antennae. The tarsi seemed quite flattened out.
Another new insect for Dene Park was the Harlequin Beetle, Harmonia axyridis, significantly larger than the other ladybirds (14-spot and 7-spot) seen, and of a particular colour form I think, Harmonia axyridis succinea.
The other animal in large numbers was the Opilionid Harvestmen, standing sentry on the tops of the nettles, today definitely outnumbering the Nursery Web Spiders. In the picture below the long second pair of legs are acting as the harvestman's sensory "eyes", testing the environment for both food and threats!
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