Orange and Black Striped Caterpillars

There are a couple of orange and black striped caterpillars that you will commonly encounter in the Loire Valley in the summer. The French for caterpillar is chenille.

Cinnabar Moth caterpillars
Tyria jacobaeae
Goutte-de-sang (= 'drop of blood')
The species is found all over France, but is particularly abundant in the north-western quarter of France. Nearly always when you see the caterpillar it will be on ragworts Jacobaea spp (Fr. Seneçons), and you rarely see just one, but usually small groups of them, often near the top of the plant. They have the disconcerting habit of twitching and waving their heads when disturbed. This is presumably a defence mechanism, to remind you that they are toxic, due to the plant toxins they've consumed in eating the host plant. They can be found anywhere there is ragwort -- dry grasslands, scrub, domestic and public urban gardens, roadsides and railway tracks. There are some concerns that the species is declining because its host plant ragwort is commonly destroyed as a toxic weed.

Cinnabar moth Tyria jacobaeae caterpillars on Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris. Photographed July 2020 in my orchard, Indre et Loire.

Fox moth
Macrothylacia rubi
Bombyx de la Ronce (= 'bramble silkworm moth')
Another very abundant species in the Loire Valley. The caterpillars change appearance several times as they grow, but in their middle stage they are black and velvety, with fine orange stripes. They are often encountered alone, and crossing a bitumen road. They are particularly abundant in the Paris Basin and central lowland France, but can be found throughout France. They are not very fussy about habitat, being found on land dominated by herbaceous (non-grass) species, lichens or mosses; woodland edges and clearings dominated by tall herbaceous (non-grass) species; alpine and sub-alpine grasslands; hot grasslands; wet or seasonally wet grasslands; heaths; open woodland; hedgerows; and open unwooded grasslands. The caterpillars eat all sorts of low growing plants such as brambles, heather and other low shrubs.

Fox moth Macrothylacia rubi caterpillar. Photographed July 2020 in my driveway.

Fox moth Macrothylacia rubi caterpillar. Photographed in a garden in a rural hamlet.

Newly hatched Fox Moth Macrothylacia rubi caterpillars in a fallow strip on an organic farm. Photo taken July 2019 at La Petite Rabaudière, the organic market garden on the outskirts of Preuilly sur Claise.

Female Fox moth Macrothylacia rubi laying her eggs on the front door of a cottage in a rural hamlet. Photo taken May 2010 in Roux.

Leaf Rolling Weevils Attelabidae

There are three species of leaf rolling weevil that you may encounter in the Touraine Loire Valley.

Hazel Leaf Rolling Weevil Apoderus coryli (Fr. L'Apodère du noisetier) makes neat and tidy cylindrical rolls, tucked in at the ends and almost exclusively out of Hazel Corylus avellana leaves. The adult weevil is red with a black head.

'Cigar' made by Hazel Leaf Roller out of Hazel leaf, photographed in the Claise Valley.

Hazel Leaf Rolling Weevil Apoderus coryli, on Hazel, in my orchard, Claise Valley, Indre et Loire.

Birch Leaf Rolling Weevil Deporaus betulae (Fr. Rhynchite du bouleau) makes rather cone shaped and somewhat untidy 'cigars', narrow at the attached end and widening to the other end, on a variety of tree species -- frequently Hazel, and certainly not exclusively Birch. The adult weevil is black.

 'Cigar' made by Birch Leaf Roller out of a Hazel leaf, in my orchard in the Claise Valley.

Vine Leaf Rolling Weevil Bysticus betulae (Fr. Cigarier). Their rolled leaf is frequently, but not exclusively found on grape vines. They will also use fruit trees such as apples and pears. It uses the entire leaf and produces an untidy cigar shape that tapers at both ends. The adult beetle is metallic green, purple or blue.

 Vine Leaf Roller, 'cigar' left, adult beetle right, in grape vines at Saint Georges sur Cher.

Photo courtesy of Christophe Davault.

Cardinal Beetles Pyrochroidae

Cardinal Beetles are a small family of bright scarlet beetles. The larvae are rather flattened and live under bark, predating other insects.

 Larva of a cardinal beetle, either Pyrochroa coccinea or P. serraticornis. Found under firewood pile in Preuilly sur Claise late March 2018. 

 Larva of a cardinal beetle. The cercis (spines at 'tail' end) are straight, which indicates either Pyrochroa coccinea or P. serraticornis. Found under firewood pile in Preuilly sur Claise late March 2018. 

Thanks to Stewart Bevan of the FB group Insects and Other Arthropods of Britain and Europe.

Argogorytes mystaceus - a digger wasp

Scientific Name: Argogorytes mystaceus (Crabronidae).

English Name: a digger wasp.

French Name: 

5 Key Characters:

• completely black antennae, males have unusually long antennae.
• only 3 yellow bands on abdomen.
• black scutellum, yellow spot on metanotum (third thoraxic segment).
• lower parts of legs reddish yellow (especially the hind legs).
• Tergite 1 (first abdominal segment) is more or less hemispherical and there is a noticeable 'step' between tergites 1 and 2.

Lookalikes: Many other Crabronites, especially other Gorytes and Argogorytes spp. A. mystaceus is the only one of these that has enough potentially visible characters to identify from a photograph. The Gorytes and Argogorytes spp can be separated from other Crabronites by wing venation (two veins terminate on the base of the second sub-marginal cell).

Habitat: Dry sunny woodland clearings and edges with tall vegetation. Preys on froghopper nymphs, especially Meadow Froghopper Philaenus spumarius. The froghopper nymphs are used to stock nest burrows dug in dry banks in damp woodland clearings. Female wasps visit Wood Spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides and umbellifer flowers and Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa leaves for the honeydew. An important pollinator of Fly Orchid Ophrys insectifera. Males are attracted to the flowers which emit a pheromone like the female wasps. The males attempt to mate with the orchid flowers and receive the orchid pollinia stuck to their back, which they can then transfer to another flower.

Flight Period: April-May-June-July-August-September.


Status: Widespread and quite common. Parasitised by the Large-spurred Digger Wasp Nysson spinosus and probably by Miltogramine flesh flies.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

Violet Oil Beetle Meloe violaceus

Scientific Name: Meloe violaceus (Meloidae).


English Name: Violet Oil Beetle.


French Name: Le Méloé violet (='violet oil beetle').

5 Key Characters:

• black with purple, blue or green irridescence.
• enlarged abdomen which extends well beyond the tips of the wing cases. 
• females (30 mm) much larger than males (10 mm).
• male antennae very kinked, females less kinked.
• thorax finely pitted, lower edge of thorax is obviously indented or curved, not straight, with a depressed area at the base and a large tooth.
  

Lookalikes: Black Oil Beetle M. proscarabaeus, which is usually more mat black, has coarser thoracic pitting and the thorax is almost straight across lower edge.


Habitat: Woodland edges, glades and rides, flower rich grassland, where they eat plants like Lesser Celandine Ranunculus ficaria, Dandelion Taraxacum spp, Cleavers Galium aparine and grasses. The larvae, called triungulins, are parasites of mining bees (ie they enter the bees' nests and eat the pollen the bees have collected and stored for their own larvae).


Adult Active Period: March-April-May-June-July. Adults are toxic and can exude a red liquid containing cantharidine (the dangerous active ingredient in Spanish fly) if distressed.


Status: The presence of Violet Oil Beetles indicates a robust population of mining bees and high quality flower rich grassland. The beetles are in decline because flower rich grassland is in decline, destroyed by agricultural intensification, development and changes in land use. The solitary bees who are essential for the survival of the triungulins are also in decline. Violet Oil Beetles make a very good indicator species for the health of their environment, and focusing on maintaining and creating flower rich grassland will benefit the beetles and their host bees.

Further reading and references: Buglife Oil Beetle Species Management Sheet.


Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

Rural Tracks

Throughout France there is a network of variously named public rights of way. One of the most frequently encountered by walkers is the chemin rural (plural chemins ruraux). These are (usually) unpaved tracks owned and maintained by the local commune. They are almost always ancient laneways, winding through farms and today used by walkers, horse riders, hunters and farmers. Sometimes they are unmarked, but usually they have a small sign at either end with the letter R, C or V and an a number to identify them. They also frequently have the standardised walking trail symbols posted along them and appear on maps as part of the national hiking trail (randonnée) network. Even when they appear to be private farm tracks, the public is permitted to walk them. Walking them in all seasons is a great way to get to know the wildlife of this area, as they are usually long thin grasslands bordered by hedges, woodland or agricultural land, and sometimes even aquatic habitats such as streams, ditches, springs and ponds. You are unlikely to meet another person on most of them.

A chemin rural near Yzeures sur Creuse, October.

A chemin rural near Yzeures sur Creuse, October.

A notice issued by the local authority who has responsibility for maintaining this chemin rural, stapled to a trackside tree. It says that motorised vehicles are not permitted on this track between October and May ie the months when it is likely to be wet. The commune very sensibly does not want the track churned up and ruined by hunters' vans or farm machinery.

Bird watching in the Brenne down a track near la Maison du Parc.

Bird watching in the Brenne, near l'Etang vieux. This track had a sign temporarily banning agricultural vehicles because it was flooded, however that didn't stop anyone on foot who was prepared to take off their boots and slosh.

The sign on this track in the Brenne says 'Attention. Track under repair. Do not tow vehicles down it.' There was no problem (apart from ankle deep water) in walking down it.

A track through the bocage country along the River Vienne near Chinon.

A track through arable crop land and forest. This is one of my butterfly transects.

Small Rivers

The Loire valley is in fact a river system, and includes many rivers which flow into the Loire. Feeding these tributaries in turn is a network of small rivers, such as the Claise, Aigronne and Echandon.

These small rivers tend to have a considerable fall over their length, usually about .75m per kilometre. This means that they are ideal for powering water driven mills, and as a consequence the rivers are controlled by weirs (barrages in French) to create header ponds. The flow is then diverted down a mill stream (bief in French), creating an island. The mill may be situated on the island or on the bank. Very few of these mills now function, but property owners are responsible for maintaining and operating the sluices as necessary to control flow and levels.

Mills have been sited at roughly 1km intervals on these rivers since about the 12th century, and the ecology of these small rivers and mill streams is now dependent on the controls associated with the mill workings. The many weirs make the rivers seem bigger than they actually are, and slow the flow down. Although these rivers are weired, they are rarely canalised, and the banks are well vegetated. In recent decades, the banks of these small rivers have become more and more overgrown, restricting access to the rivers, and causing difficulties in the dispersal of riparian species into the wider landscape (eg emerging dragonflies).

As part of a new river management scheme, overseen by local river technicians, the riverbank vegetation is being systematically thinned and the over abundant poplars removed. In some places weirs are being removed in order to speed up flow and ensure the water is better oxygenated. This is proving rather controversial, as the principle beneficiaries are the angling clubs, who sometimes do not see the wider ecological picture.

Water quality is generally good, although in many places water meadows have been ploughed up. This practice, and those such as intensive dairy farming mean that the water is periodically polluted by silt and agricultural runoff of one sort or another.

There are some problems with the invasive alien species Water Primrose Ludwigia spp (jussie in French). This aquatic plant rapidly covers the surface of still or slow moving water, out competing native plants, blocking out light, causing an accumulation of organic material and interfering with the breeding of fish and aquatic insects. The river technicians are dealing with this by manually weeding.

There are also problems with the invasive alien species Coypu Myocaster coypus, whose burrows undermine river banks. The animals have been declared vermin (nuisible in French) and landholders have an obligation to notify the authorities and eradicate animals.

For an overview of the management programme for the Claise River, see Une Belle Riviere, a blog post (in English) on Days on the Claise.

A millpond on the Claise River in Preuilly sur Claise. Taken from the top of the weir/sluice, the mill is down a channel to the left. I have been told that the deep slow waters here are home to a silure, an enormous non-native catfish which has eaten every other living creature in the pool including birds such as moorhens and coots. The fish is reported to be at least a metre long.

The Claise, typical of the small Tourangelle rivers, here in December swelled by winter rain and just bursting its banks. The island to the left is formed by the remains of a medieval bridge, the weir in the distance creates a mill pond for the Moulin de Chanvre ('Hemp Mill') and the millstream is the channel going off to the right. The photograph was taken from the boat ramp and this is a good spot for watching Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens and Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum in the summer.

Praying Mantis - Mantis religiosa

Scientific Name: Mantis religiosa (Order Dictyoptera, suborder Mantodea, family Mantidae).

English Name: Praying Mantis (Mantid family).


French Name: La Mante religieuse (='religious mantis').

A female Praying Mantis consumes a female bush-cricket Ruspolia nitidula.

5 Key Characters:

• can be green or brown.
• males are much smaller and more slender than females.
• flies well but usually hunts other insects by laying in wait before pouncing and grabbing with their formidible forelegs.
• raises and opens front legs in a threat display when disturbed. Can also hiss.
• good vision and will respond to any movement by watching alertly.
  

Lookalikes: Stick insect Clonopsis gallica, which is very much more slender and not as common.


Habitat: Rough grassland, scrub, gardens.

Adult Active Period: July-August-September-October-November. Overwinters as an egg in a mousse like eggcase attached to grass stalk or fencepost.


Status: Common.


Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

A female Praying Mantis consumes a Devil's Coach Horse beetle Ocypus olens on a farm track near Chaumussay.

A female Praying Mantis on a pavement footpath in Preuilly sur Claise.

European Hornet - Vespa crabro

Scientific Name: Vespa crabro (Vespidae).


English Name: European Hornet (Social wasps family).


French Name: Le Frélon.

5 Key Characters:

• easily the largest wasp occuring in this area (18 - 35 mm long). 
• chestnut brown and golden yellow with reddish tinted wings.
• females have a sting (but generally only aggressive if threatened).
• carnivorous, eating other large insects.
• very attracted to fruit such as apples and pears, which they will eat on the tree or as windfalls.
  

Lookalikes: Queens of the other social wasps (Vespula spp, Dolichovespula spp), which are smaller and black and yellow. Yellow-legged Asian Hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax, which is smaller and much darker.


Habitat: Nests in hollow trees, wall cavities, chimneys.


Flight Period: Adults are active from early spring to late summer.


Status: Population fluctuates from year to year.


Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

Fighting over a windfall pear (probably a Greenbottle Lucilia sp to the right, on the pear).

Fighting over a windfall pear (probably a Greenbottle Lucilia sp above, on the pear).

Fighting.

Fighting.

Fighting over a windfall pear (probably a Greenbottle Lucilia sp to the left, on the pear).

Fighting.

Great Green Bush-cricket - Tettigonia viridissima

Scientific Name:  Tettigonia viridissima (Tettigoniidae).


English Name: Great Green Bush-cricket (Bush-cricket family).


French Name: La Grande Sauterelle verte (='Great Green Grasshopper').

5 Key Characters:

• the largest Orthoptera (grasshoppers and their relatives) you will see here (5 - 7 cm long from head to wing tips and excluding the long fine antennae).
• rarely flies although it has large wings.
• females have 2 cm slightly down curved bladelike ovipositor (just reaching the wing tips in length).
• 'sings' loudly and is most active in the evening.
• mostly carnivorous, they can deliver a painful bite if alarmed.
  

Lookalikes: Other green bush-crickets and coneheads, but none are as big.


Habitat: Trees, shrubs, rough vegetation.


Active Period: Adults are active July to October. They eat a variety of insect larvae including caterpillars and beetle grubs such as those of Colorado Beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata and can provide significant control of pest species such as this.


Status: Widespread but in strong decline due to modern intensive agriculture and insecticides.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

Ivy - Hedera helix

Scientific Name: Hedera helix subsp helix (Araliaceae).


English Name: Common Ivy; English Ivy; Bind Wood (Ivy family).


French Name: Le Lierre; le Lierre grimpant (='climbing ivy').

5 Key Characters:

• evergreen climber which will go up trees or structures to 30 m.
• forms carpets on woodland floor.
• juvenile leaves on non-flowering stems are divided into 5 lobes.
• mature leaves are pointed ovals.
• has abundant greenish flowers, followed by black berries, on stems which have sufficient light.

Lookalikes: Non-native Boston Ivy Parthenocisus tricuspidata, an invasive from gardens, which has leaves which are always lobed, turn red in the autumn and drop, leaving the stems bare in winter.


Habitat: Dry woods, hedgerows, walls, rocks.


Flowering Period: September-October-November. 

Status: Very common and widespread. An important source of nectar for insects in late autumn when not much else is flowering. Also provides shelter for hibernating insects.


Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

50% of the visitors to Ivy flowers are flies. From left to right these are Noon Fly Mesembrina meridiana Muscidae, Stomorhina lunata Calliphoridae, Sepsis sp Sepsidae, Greenbottle Lucilia cf illustris Calliphoridae and Drone Fly Eristalis sp Syrphidae.

Flies visiting Ivy flowers. A Parasitic Fly Tachinidae is joined by Drone Flies Eristalis sp Syrphidae and Greenbottles Lucilia sp Calliphoridae.

Social Wasps - Vespidae

The Social Wasps are a group of closely related and very similar species from the genera Vespula, Dolichovespula, and Polistes (Paper Wasps). The North American name for them is Leatherjackets, the French call them les guêpes. Vespidae also includes Vespa (Hornets) and some solitary wasps but they have separate entries (European Hornet Vespa crabro; Great Potter Wasp Delta unguiculatum).

The Vespid Social Wasps are what everyone thinks of as the classic wasp -- black and yellow and overly persistent at picnics. They live in colonies which are formed each year by the surviving overwintering mated queens. Their nests are constructed of paper which the wasps make by chewing wood fibres. Some species live underground, others in trees or buildings. A few are 'cuckoos', not forming colonies but laying their eggs in other species nests.


Their function in an ecosystem is as refuse collectors. They clean up rotting fruit and the bodies of dead insects. Their nests and larvae provide food and shelter for other wildlife, ranging from Volucella spp hover flies to badgers.

Social insects should always be treated with respect however. If you alarm or hurt one it will emit a signal to its fellows, triggering a defensive reaction that can be frightening and dangerous.

Foraging on a windfall pear in a garden, joined by a Greenbottle Lucilia sp and an ant Formicidae.

Foraging on a windfall pear in a garden, joined by a Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

Ladybirds Coccinellidae

Ladybirds are small dome shaped beetles. Their heads and legs are positioned so they are almost invisible under the protective dome of wing cases and pronotum (the hard shell over the thorax). They are brightly coloured and taste nasty. Their colours and patterns are very variable in quite a few species. Both adults and larvae are usually carnivorous, well known for consuming aphids. Many species hibernate as adults and will use insect hotels if you provide them.

 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata -- the most abundant and widespread species, active from March to October.

A 7-spot Ladybird (above) and a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis (below) on a pear.

Digger Wasps Crabronidae

Digger Wasps Crabronidae are a family of solitary species which mostly nest in burrows in the ground, sometimes forming large aggregations in a suitable patch of earth. The females usually have a comb on the front legs for digging. The females paralyse prey (caterpillars, spiders, beetles, flies, other insects) and stock the nests with an immobilised living larder for their larvae. Crabronidae is sometimes included in the Thread-waisted Wasps Sphecidae but most modern taxonomic lists split them. Both are part of the superfamily Apoidea, which includes bees.

Subfamily Philanthinae
Beewolf Philanthus triangulum: head projects further forward than most Crabronidae, which have rather flat fronted head level with the eyes. Females have a sturdy digging comb on the front legs. Nests in sand, making burrows which it stocks with Honey Bees Apis mellifera. The bees are caught, paralysed and carried to the burrow underneath the Beewolf's body. Abdomen yellow, usually with black triangles. Adults active July - September. Also known as the Bee Killer.

A Philanthinae Digger Wasp, possibly a Beewolf, on Eryngium spp (in a garden). To the left, the parasitic fly Eriothrix rufomaculata.

Cerceris arenaria: the most common of the Philanthinae subfamily of wasps. Females have a digging comb on the front legs. The first abdominal segment is rounded, with two prominent yellow spots. The abdominal segments are very clearly delineated, as though the wasp is tied up like a piece of roast meat. Adults active May - September. Makes deep nest burrows in sand, stocked with weevils. There are a number of lookalike closely related species.

Cerceris cf arenaria.

How to Use this Website

Loire Valley Nature is designed to be used as an English language natural history web resource for lowland central France. It uses Blogger software for its easy accessibility, but it is not written as a blog ie as a periodical record of events or thoughts like a diary. Pages can be added or updated at any time.

The website comprises different types of pages, which form a network, linking one to another so you can drill down to the specific information you need. Please note that we have deliberately chosen to open all links and photos in a new page, so if you find this annoying or confusing, please just get into the habit of closing each page as you exit. We decided to go with new pages for everything because otherwise it can be difficult finding a page from earlier in your research, and in identifying species, you often have to compare information and photos on different species account pages. The back page function can be used, but can also be confusing.

Why is the website called Loire Valley Nature, when in fact, the area it is concerned with does not actually cover the entire Loire Valley?

We decided to call it Loire Valley Nature because we felt it was a name people not so familiar with the area might search for. Strictly speaking, the area covered is the Touraine, Berry and part of Poitou, or the modern administrative départments of Indre (36), Indre et Loire (37) and Vienne (86), but these are names not all of our readers may know. The website covers an area which is within the central southern boundaries of the Loire Valley in its broadest sense, ie all the rivers within the area are tributaries of the Loire and feeding into the Loire Valley system. The three départements together make up a total area of 20 000 km². In Australian terms, this is ten times the Australian Capital Territory, or one-tenth the size of Victoria. In British terms, it's the same size as Wales. Scattered across the area are many small villages and towns but the only city with a population over 100 000 is Tours. Within this area the main focus is on the relatively well known wetland of the Brenne and the half of the Touraine that is south of the Loire,  a triangle between Chinon in the west, Chambord in the east and Loches in the south. In particular there is a lot of information about the Claise valley, as that is where we live.

Geologically, we are on the southern edge of the Paris Basin, just before the land starts to rise into the Massif Central. This is lowland central France, mostly less than 100 metres above sea level (masl). The area is situated in the heart of western Europe, but is home to a surprisingly high level of biodiversity and many rarities due to its position on the northern and eastern edge of the range of Mediterranean, Turkish and Iberian species and similarly, it is on the southern edge of the range of northern European species.

The soil is mostly calcareous, often with a high clay content, but there are pockets of sand. The land is used for broadacre farming with many mixed farms and large areas of woodland, both deciduous broadleaf and conifer. The riparian and wetland habitats are of international importance, with numerous rivers and streams. Of particular note are the many man-made fish lakes, known as étangs, forming the Brenne, France's third most important wetland (after the Camargue and the Marais Poitevin). Less well known are the dry limestone butts, called éperons, which host a noteworthy assemblage of plants, including many orchids, adapted to very calcareous soils. There are also remnant pockets of heathland.

The most useful general guide to the area is the Crossbill Guide to the Loire Valley, reviewed by us here.

If you are interested in other aspects of the Loire Valley, Brenne and Touraine, you might like to read our daily blog, Days on the Claise or book an excursion with Loire Valley Time Travel. To see our range of nature walks and workshops, please click on the page tab above. You can email us by clicking on our profile links to the right. Please note that we always respond to emails within 48 hours, so if you do not get a response, please check your spam folder or get in touch via the Loire Valley Time Travel contact page.

Galls

Plant galls are caused by tiny wasps of the Cynipidae family. The wasps are the size of ants but can be identified to family level by their distinctive wing venation pattern (using a simple wing venation based key such as the FSC Aidgap Key to Bees, Ants and Wasps if you have a specimen). The most common host plants are oaks. Female wasps lay their eggs on the host plant and the plant reacts by swelling, creating a shelter for the young grubs to hatch in. The larvae eat the plant, but do not cause any real harm to their host. Some galls contain a single grub, others are multichambered and contain several larvae. The larvae pupate inside their gall and usually overwinter in this state before emerging as adult wasps. Some species of gall wasp are parthenogenic, with females who lay fertile eggs without the presence of males. The life cycles of many of these species are particularly complex, with alternating generations of bisexual and parthenogenic individuals. The different generations cause different types of galls. A few species do not produce their own galls, but parasitise the galls of others. Other parasitic wasps also use gall hosts, so you cannot guarantee that the occupants are the original gall makers.

Robin's Pincushion: a commonly encountered and easy to recognise gall, found on wild roses. It is also known as a bedeguar gall. It has multiple chambers and a woody exterior covered soft bristles. The gall matures in late autumn. It is the creation of Diploepis rosae, a parthenogenic species with a black head and thorax and red abdomen. Below, photographed in the Foret de Preuilly, June.

Saddle-backed Bushcricket - Ephippiger ephippiger

Scientific Name: Ephippiger ephippiger Tettigoniidae

English Name: Saddle-backed Bushcricket.

French Name: Le Tizi (= an onomatopaeic reference to the repetative two note call they make); l'Ephippigère des vignes (= 'Vine Bushcricket'); Hotteux (= 'hoody'); Porte-hotte (= 'hood wearer'); Porte-selle (= 'saddle wearer'); Porte-selle de la vigne (= 'vine saddle wearer'); Gril (= 'grill'); Bourdrague; Sauterelle à selle (= 'saddled grasshopper'); Sauterelle à cymbale (= 'cymballed grasshopper'; Jeudi (= presumably another onomatopaeic reference to the call).

5 Key Characters:

• the only species of Ephippiger to occur in this area.
• can be green or brown.
• abdomen often banded.
• female ovipositor 25mm long and gently curved.
• chirping song is described as distinctive (sound recording here).

Lookalikes: Many other species of Bushcrickets Tettigoniidae, but none of them present in this area have the distinctive raised 'saddle'.

Habitat: Rough ground and scrub, vineyards.

Adult Active Period: July-August-September-October-November.

Status: Recorded at the sites shown on this map. Note that it is found over almost the whole of France (but curiously has not been recorded in Loir et Cher (41). Can be a pest of vineyards.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

Male in Besom Heath / Gorse scrub near Yzeures sur Creuse, October.

Male in Besom Heath / Gorse scrub near Yzeures sur Creuse, October.

Male in Besom Heath / Gorse scrub near Yzeures sur Creuse, October.

 

Great Potter Wasp - Delta unguiculatum

Scientific Name: Delta unguiculatum. (Syn Eumenes unguiculata, D. unguiculata.) Eumenidae or Vespidae subfamily Eumeninae.

English Name: Great Potter Wasp.  

French Name: Eumène unguiculé.

5 Key Characters:

• a large black, yellow and chestnut brown wasp (18 - 25 mm long).
• very distinct 'wasp waist'.
• first abdominal segment bell shaped (between the thorax and the rest of the abdomen).  
• makes a mud nest that looks like a random dob of mortar, often with a little pot rim shaped entrance, full of paralysed moth caterpillars.
• when at rest, the tinted wings are folded across one another down the length of the body.

Lookalikes: It is possible that beginners mistake this large species for the invasive alien Yellow-legged Asian Hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax, which is a much darker, stockier species. 


Habitat: hot sunny places, even in the middle of towns. 


Adult Active Period: June-July-August.

Status: We are on the very northern edge of its range here, so it is uncommon.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature: