The Whitlingham Bird Report for 2023 is now available to download from the Bird Reports page or from here

NORWICH: Zombie aphids

8th July 2020

A rainy walk back from the city, but I decided to take a different route back and followed the river for a while. This paid off when I noticed a thin leaf mine in a patch of Winter Heliotrope. Back at home I checked it and found that it was caused by the Agromyzid fly Phytomyza tussilaginis, which based on the recording scheme database is new to Norfolk.


There was another interesting find a bit further along, when I found what looked like some very round brown aphids. Online they were recognised as 'aphid mummies', the outer shells of aphids that have been parasitised by tiny wasps. I wasn't able to identify the original aphid or the causer, but still of great interest and something I can now keep a look out for. I also saw the scarce Rustyback Fern in the same place I've seen it in previous years.



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