Insh by Insh

Our holiday in the Highlands saw us take a day out to the wonderful RSPB Insh Marshes reserve. This is a wonderful place for anyone interested in entomology, with the variety of habitats, including a fabulous stand of Aspen Populus tremula. We hoped that we may find an Aspen Hoverfly Hammerschmidtia ferruginea, but alas it was not to be. We did see some fabolous insects, the best of which was a Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth Hemaris tityus, which did not stay still for a photograph but caused great excitement.

There best photograph I managed was of a very familiar species, the Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines. I love the green patterning on the underwing of this species

Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines

Other insects currently remain unidentifed, but worth posting just the same. There were several Empid dagger flies on the abundant Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea. 

Empid species

This sawfly is probably Rhogogaster viridis, though with little expereince of this group I would not want to rule out any of the other similar species.

Probable Rhogogaster viridis

Unusually for me, I found a tortrix moth that I have been unable to identify. I am still working on it, but may need to phone a friend eventually.

Tortrix species

The pictures do not tell the full story of what a wonderful place Insh Marshes is. I will surely return someday in the not to distant future, perhaps a couple of weeks later in the year to catch up with that hoverfly.