I spotted this very colourful fly in a garden centre outside Gorey some time ago. Have you any idea what it is? Michael Wade, Co Wexford
This is the noonday fly – Mesembrina meridiana – which is most often seen on cow dung, sunbathing on trees, fences and walls in bright sunlight, or visiting flowers to feed on nectar. Eggs are laid in cow dung; the female lays a single egg in up to five cow pats. When they hatch the larvae are carnivorous and feed on other fly larvae within the dung. The female lays up to five eggs in a lifetime, each one in a different pat, at two-day intervals.
Ruby (5), Robin (3) and Rossa (1) spotted this unusual looking fungus on a tree in Slieve Gullion Forest while visiting to give Robin’s dodies to the fairies. Robin bravely left her dodies behind, but we were wondering, what is it called and is this a fungus? Ruby, Robin and Rossa Dunworth, Blackrock, Co Louth
The fairies may indeed prefer the dodies to this fungus, which is now called jelly ear or wood ear, although the Latin name Auricularia auricula-judae, remains unchanged. The ear-like fruit bodies, up to 9cm across, are tough and gelatinous when young but hard and brittle when dry and old. Larger specimens may have vein-like wrinkles on their surface, making them even more ear-like. The fungus grows on decaying wood of deciduous trees and shrubs but is most usually found on elder trees. It is widespread and common.
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I got off my bike to take a photo of a cormorant drying off beside the canal at Robert Emmet Bridge, Harold’s Cross. The canal is not perfectly clean but there are regular group clean-ups which help with the water quality. Róisin Sheerin, Dublin
It’s hard to take a photo while riding a bike right enough. The Grand Canal has visual litter such as plastics, etc, but the water quality is good. There is enough dissolved oxygen in the water for invertebrates to thrive. These in turn are food for the fish, which are a main part of this cormorant’s diet. It used to be thought that the cormorant was drying its wings when it adopted this pose – even though it might actually be raining at the time – and the cormorant promptly dived back into the water after a short period, getting wet all over again. It is now thought that holding out their wings like this helps them to digest their recently swallowed prey.
Our late friend, Mary Shackleton, gave me a present of this tree, which I suspect is unusual. It is now five metres tall and slender stemmed. What is it, please? JC Colgan, Leixlip, Co Kildare
It is a poplar, a species of deciduous tree characterised by having long-stalked leaves which tremble in the slightest breeze, thus giving rise to its Irish name – an Crann creathach. This is not the native species Populus tremula (the aspen), however, which has round-toothed leaves. The leaves look more like those of the Black Italian poplar. Only males of this species are known, so see what kind of catkins grow on the tree in due course.
We found this bug on the roof of our garage. We wondered, is it a kind of ladybird or another beetle? Emily (12) and Zachary (9) Freedman, Dublin
Bugs are listening devices, or germs that give you the flu (unless you are speaking American). This insect is a very young adult seven-spot ladybird just recently emerged from its pupal stage. It emerges yellow and without the spots, which will appear within half a day.
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