Birds of Sligo Town

Black Headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Black Headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)

Autumnal Oak Wood

Garden Blooms

Lough Cahasey, Co. Mayo.

Common Blue (Pollyommatus icarus)

Variable Damselfly (Coenagrion pulchellum)

Garden Insects

Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)

Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)

Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)

Grypocoris stysi Adult

Grypocoris stysi Nymph

Grypocoris stysi Nymph

Grypocoris stysi Nymph

Longhorn Beetle (Rhagium bifisciatum)


Dandelion


Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)

Life and Death in the Garden Pond

Larvae of the water beetle (Agabus bipustulatus) eating a tadpole (Rana temporaria)

Following the demise of my pond goldfish during the cold winter the garden pond has become a hive of activity. The fish would normally eat anything that moved including tadpoles and beetles. In their absence the pond has reverted to a more natural habitat and is full of tadpoles, dragonfly and damselfly larvae, and water beetles and their larvae. The water beetle larvae are vicious predators and can easily overpower the tadpoles which are often bigger than them. The tadpoles feed mainly on algae but they will eat any dead animals including their own siblings. They also quite like ham!

In these pictures the larvae of a water beetle (Agabus bipustulatus) is feeding on a tadpole (Rana temporaria). The larvae basically sucks the juices out of its prey.