False Ladybird

Another long, hot day at the Whitemoor Marshalling Yards. It was rather overcast but humid for much of the morning, but after a touch of fine rain just before lunch the sun came out for the afternoon, making it feel very hot and sticky. 

We were about to leave, when Pete told me he'd found a birch stump with lots of False Ladybirds pottering about over it. This is a fairly common species and adults occur year-round. They are usually nocturnal and become active in early spring. From then until the autumn they are easily observed at night in the vicinity of fungus on trees and logs. The ones at Whitemoor seemed to be gathering together prior to mating - several pairs hooked up during the five minutes or so that I watched them.