I found this spider in my back garden in Finglas. What type of spider it is? It was about an inch in size and golden colour. Sarah Gill
This is the garden spider – Araneus diadematus. Its main colour ranges from bright orange to black but is usually some shade of brown, as in this case. It almost always has a paler cross-like pattern on its back, which gives it the alternative name cross spider. It reaches adult stage in autumn, which is why it is so conspicuous at this time of year. It is completely harmless to us.
The attached photo was taken at the Meeting of The Waters, Avoca, Co Wicklow in early August. I haven’t seen one before. What is it? David Holmes
This is the forest shield bug, which is distinguished from other similarly coloured shield bugs by its rectangular thorax and “square-shouldered” appearance. It is widespread and fairly common in woodlands. The nymphs feed on oak and alder, while the adults are partly predatory on caterpillars and other insects.
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We recently saw this butterfly at the Gleniff Barytes Mill site, on the Gleniff Horseshoe loop in Sligo. It’s not a species we were familiar with, but wonder could it be a silver-washed fritillary? The Thornton family, Walkinstown
The purple flowers of the knapweed are a rich source of nectar for butterflies, and this one has attracted both a red admiral and a silver-washed fritillary. This is a male silver-washed, as evidenced by the black bars on the forewings. These are actually scent bars, and the male wafts perfume from these in the direction of a willing female who then, being utterly seduced, allows pairing. He then carries her to a tree where they settle and mate. It is our largest butterfly, having a wingspan of up to 80mm.
This beauty found its way into our house. The wings were so delicate-looking. Despite picking up some cobwebs courtesy of our resident spider it seemed to fly off okay. What could it be, and what is that halo effect on its head? Sarah McGuinness, Rathfarnham
This is a dragonfly – a female of the species Aeshna mixta, the autumn hawker. This dragonfly has recently become established in Ireland, having first been recorded in Wexford in 2000. It is the latest dragonfly to emerge each year, appearing in late July. It is on the wing until late October. It is normally found at lakes and ponds and along large rivers. It has now spread all along the south and east coasts and inland to much of Leinster and along the Shannon. Your house must be near a stream. What you call a halo is in fact yellow markings on the head just above the eyes, not any supernatural phenomenon.
Here is a picture of this year’s robin. When will he/she get the red breast? Niall Mac Neill, Dublin
When young robins get their first feathers and fledge and leave the nest, their plumage is scaled light and dark brown, as your image captures so well. Males and females look alike. Male adult robins are very territorial and aggressive, and it is thought that young robins have not got red feathers to avoid annoying Daddy. Even the female, which also has red feathers, is only tolerated by himself during the breeding season and the couple separate and hold separate territories after that. Juvenile robins get red feathers during their first moult, which happens when they are two to three months old. They will then get their marching orders from the home place and territorial disputes can arise if they are reluctant to go.
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