Petts Wood, July

Crabronid wasp, Astata boops.  Male.  St Paul's Cray Common, 30 July 2014.

In July the Orpington Field Club went to a patch of heath in the middle of a wood in St Paul's Cray.  We were looking around for insects, of which these are a few.

This predatory wasp was resting on my bag.  It seems quite alert, with its head turned to put me in the view of both its huge compound eyes.

Hoverfly, Eristalis pertinax, on Ling, Calluna vulgaris.  Male.  St Paul's Cray Common, 30 July 2014.

Two of my favourite subjects: hoverflies and flowers.  Ling heather flowers are a purple swath across nothern hillsides, but close to their colour is quite subtle, and they make a good background for this Eristalis.  You can see it has been busy with the pollen, as has this one:

Hoverfly, Helophilus pendulus.  Female.  St Paul's Cray Common, 30 July 2014.

Both these species are quite common and can be seen in a variety of habitats.  They are both in the family Eristalini, and in both photos you can see this family's distinctive loop in the wing vein near the centre of the tip of the forewing. That can be quite a handy identification guide.

Spider, Philodromus species.  Petts Wood, 30 July 2014.

This spider was in the woods, lurking in the underbrush.

Before we went into the woods, I saw a pear bush with what I thought was a major infestation of leaf mining insects.  But I was wrong; this is a rust fungus.

Pear Trellis Rust, Gymnosporangium sabinae.   Birchwood Road, Petts Wood,  30 July 2014.

It actually looks quite pretty!  But it can't be doing the bush any good.

My last photo in this group is of a field seen from the path through the wood.  It is (or was) known as the Soldiering Field, as troops were once assembled there. 

The Soldiering Field from Petts Wood.   30 July 2014.

It's full of Ragwort and is clearly not grazed or used for crops, so I do not know what its current use is.  The Ragwort, though pretty, would make it useless for hay, as it is particularly poisonous when dried.