12 August 2009

Resin and amber 2

Yesterday we re-visited the tree where we found resin last autumn (see Resin and amber).

This time we decided to take a small piece of resin home with us so we could look more closely to see what small creatures had become trapped in it.

The body of this ichneumon fly measured 4mm.

A small mite, measuring about 1.2mm. There were large numbers of these.

Another mite or small spider with a body length of about 1mm.

A small fly

After many millions of years, resin such as this, containing a microcosm of life from our time, would solidify and become amber.

For more information about amber and the creatures found in it, see
"Jewel of the earth," which includes a complete transcript of the David Attenborough programme and many images.

Thanks to those who helped identify the insects in our blog post of 8th August. They were the hoverfly, Volucella bombylans, and a male Heather Fly, Bibio pomonae.

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