Summary of early summer Andrena below 🐝 I will be doing some separate posts on the individual species to highlight their distinctive features. The very last females of the bottom three species are flying now so keep your eyes peeled before they elude us until next year!

Summary of early summer Andrena common names version 🐝 Very last chance to see the bottom three species now! Feedback on these summaries to support biological recording much appreciated. Steven Falk Liam Crowley Liam Olds Ryan Clark Charlotte Rankin @SolitaryBeeWeek

Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempuncata) When distressed, ladybirds reflex bleed - releasing noxious chemicals from their 'armpits'. Their bright colouration signals their distastefulness to predators. They are also incredible pest controllers! Helen Roy @ColeopSoc

Six-legged Sunday +2 legs - Garden orb weaver (Araneus diadematus) heaps out at the moment in gardens! Look for the distinctive cross-mark at the front of the abdomen, which is often otherwise very variable in colour! BAS American Arachnological Society Meg Skinner (British Harvestmen) (she/her) UK Garden Spiders

Will be posting my next Six-Legged Sunday post tomorrow evening instead - in the meantime any guesses as to what distinctive wasp it might be? Creating this silhouette reminded me of 'Guess That Pokemon'...! Bees & Wasps of Ireland Steven Falk Liam Olds Brigit Strawbridge Prof Seirian Sumner

Yesterday's silhouette was a... Field Digger Wasp (Mellinus arvensis)! Also called Fly Wolf by Steven Falk - a suave name! Unusual among solitary wasps in that they nest in shady places - I have seen them in rabbit burrows! Liam Olds Brigit Strawbridge Bees & Wasps of Ireland Prof Seirian Sumner