The irresistible attraction of fermented plums

After a bumper plum harvest, the last few fallers have attracted a host of insects, including ......

...... bluebottles and greenbottles ........

....... hosts of these little vinegar flies (aka fruit flies) .....

...... a yellow fly with red eyes that might be a dung fly .....

..... and several of these lovely red admirals.

The Spider and the Fly

I've been watching this little spider that's been lurking in its web in the corner of the bedroom window for several weeks. I was beginning to think it was the world's most incompetent hunter - until this afternoon, when it finally struck lucky.

A bluebottle buzzed through the window, cannoned against the glass in an effort to get out again and almost immediately blundered into the web. It almost struggled free, but quick-as-a-flash the spider sunk its fangs into the tip of the fly's abdomen. For a moment I thought the fly might struggle free and carry the spider away with it but once the buzzing subsided ....

........ the spider embraced its victim, dragged its massive meal into its web and began feeding. Blackbird - whose bugblog is highly recommended - has kindly identified the spider as Amaurobius similis.

For more spiders, click here