Thursday 15 August 2019

Life on a Parsnip


Wild Parsnip Pastinaca sativa (Fr. Panais cultivé) grows everywhere in the Loire Valley and is very attractive to a range of nectaring insects. These photos were taken in our garden and orchard.

Cheilosia sp hover fly.
Photographed by Susan Walter.  Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Tapered Drone Fly Eristalis pertinax (Fr. L'éristale opiniâtre).
Photographed by Susan Walter.  Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Mediterranean Striped Bug Graphosoma italicum (Fr. Punaise arlequin).
Photographed by Susan Walter.  Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

The longhorn beetle Phytoecia icterica mating. Wild Parsnip is their larval host plant.
Photographed by Susan Walter.  Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

A parasitic tachinid fly.
Photographed by Susan Walter.  Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Female European Paper Wasp Polistes cf dominula.
Photographed by Susan Walter.  Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

The very large Hornet Mimic hover fly Volucella zonaria (Fr. la Volucelle zonée), a female.
Photographed by Susan Walter.  Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

An ichneumon.
Photographed by Susan Walter.  Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.


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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

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2 comments:

Sheila said...

Such fantastic photos. I'd never heard of wild parsnip before so I checked to see if grew in North America. It certainly does apparently and is considered invasive in many of the northern states...even mentioned as being "poisonous" because of the skin rash it can cause when touched on sunny days.

Susan said...

It certainly can give you horrendous burns if you are weeding and don't know to be careful of it. I nearly always have one or two healing scars from it.

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