Ημερολόγιο της/του pbedell

On July 5th I noticed some of the tiny Robber Fly Holcocephala in a small area of our front garden. Today, July 14, I just counted nine in the same area. They especially like to perch on the tips of the Iris and ignore the dead stems of the spent lilies (that I haven't cleaned out).

First night of moth week was so hot and sultry that it was difficult to be outside at the lightsheet, even at 10:00 pm. But I persevered for a while and got a few species, including a new one, the Gymnandrosoma, though it was a bit worn. The European Hornets are making things difficult, so I catch them in a jar as they are so disruptive.

I was pleasantly surprised to observe a couple of these Holcocephala calva in the front garden this morning while I was working outside. I saw two perched on the top of a tall spent lily near our front door. I now have two species of this genus present in the yard, as the H. abdominalis/fusca are still present in the garden patch near the driveway.