If like me, you like wandering around sand dunes – perhaps whilst you are on holiday by the seaside – keep an eye out for sand wasps. In particular, digger wasps like this which make nests in the sand for their young to develop in. The species shown here (Bembix rostrata) is only found in the…
I am very fond of these tiny little black and white flies, which go by the rather unattractive name of Root-maggot flies. Their Latin family name sounds a bit more appealing: Anthomyiidae. There are some agricultural pests in the family, like the cabbage root fly and the onion fly, which give the others a bad name.…
Bocage’s Wall Lizard (Podarcis bocagei) is only found in the NW corner of the Iberian Peninsula, including Galicia, Spain. It is a small lizard which is often seen on wooden broad-walks, where it pops up to bask in the sunshine. They quickly disappear beneath the planks when heavy footed humans get near! The sexes are differently coloured:…
I came across this little sand wasp digging its heart out in the sand dunes on Morouzos beach, Ria Ortigueira, Galicia, Spain (see previous blog, 1). The Hairy sand wasp (Podalonia hirsuta) is common and widely distributed throughout Europe, but easily overlooked as it goes about it life on the dunes. This species is similar…
Morouzos Beach (playa de Morouzos in Spanish) is a 2.8 km strip of sand which lies at the entrance to the Rias Ortigueira and Ladrido in A Coruña Province, Galicia, Spain. Behind the beach there are dunes and wetlands with many interesting plants and flowers. This area is a Special Protection Area (SPA) – under the…
Ray Cannon's nature notes 