The Lyons Share

It's been a while. I've been very busy with the field season this year so very little time for blogging or even taking photos but I couldn't resist a few shots of this beast. This impressive looking insect was recorded by Trust volunteer Ellie Blows on a phone camera todat at Woods Mill. I was too busy with interviews to go and have a closer look there and then so I handed a net and a pot to Ellie and I was pleased to find she had managed to bring it back for a closer look. It's not a Hornet but the Hornet mimic Large Alder Sawfly Cimbex connatus. There is only one other Sussex record, being from last year, so it's clearly starting to spread. This is a large insect and would not be easy to miss but it would be easy to mistake for a Hornet. Check out those jaws!!!

It's not a new species for me though, as I am convinced that this is the larva of the same thing that I found last year at Woodwalton Fen in Cambridgeshire. However, I'd much rather see the adult than the larva! It's certainly a new record for Woods Mill too. Great stuff.