Thursday 30 June 2016

Mill Hill butterflies and Woods Mill moths

Azure Damselfly
On June 23rd I found a Silver Y moth in our flat. It posed nicely then flew off to continue its journey north, having been resting after its channel crossing.
  On Friday 24th I did my Mill Hill transect: Adonis Blue, Marbles White 4, Meadow Brown 7, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Small Heath 10, Small Tortoiseshell, moths: Silver Y 4, Yellow Shell. 
  Afterwards I called in at Woods Mill where I found another Brown China-mark moth. There were plenty of Azure Damselflies flitting around. I also spotted four more Dingy Flat-body larvae. The original one I found on 19th had disappeared as its umbellifer food plant had been flattened by the rain. When I brought Sue here on 28th, these latest larval plants had also been flattened. I think inclement weather at the wrong time is one reason that many of our butterflies are having a third bad year judging from my transect results since 2014.
Silver Y, Autographa gamma
Woods Mill:
Azure Damselfly, Coenagrion puella
Bronze Shieldbug early instar, Troilus luridus with sawfly larva
Brown China-mark, Elophila nymphaeata
Common Froghopper, Philaenus spumarius
Common Froghopper
Common Nettle-tap, Anthophila fabriciana
Dark Strawberry Tortrix, Celypha lacunana
Dingy Flat-body larva, Depressaria daucella spinning cocoon
Dingy Flat-body larva, full cocoon
unidentified froghopper
Harlequin Ladybird larva, Harmonia axyridis
Lacehopper, Cixius nervosus
unidentified ladybird pupa
Mirid bug, Grypocoris stysi
Rove beetle, Tachyporus solutus
Rush Veneer, Nomophila noctuella
White-lipped Snail, Cepaea hortensis

Tuesday 28 June 2016

Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Ash Bud and The Sycamore

Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Cordulegaster boltonii
On Wednesday June 22nd I visited Washington chalk pits and saw a Painted Lady heading somewhere fast. There were Meadow Browns, Large Skippers and ten moths: my first Ash Bud plus Straw Dot, Plum Tortrix, Yellow Shells, Yellow-spot Twist, Dark Strawberry Tortrix, Common Nettle-tap, Common Carpet, Garden Grass-veneer, Hook-streak Grass-veneer. A bonus was a Golden-ringed Dragonfly that flew around its territory for ten minutes before settling.
  The following day I visited Arundel WWT. As soon as I arrived it started raining so I decided to explore the inside walls of the hides and found several moths, including a new one for me: The Sycamore. Others were Brown House Moths, Dark Arches, Little Greys and a Moth Fly.
Washington chalk pits:
Ash Bud Moth, Prays fraxinella
Ash Bud Moth
Common Carpet, Epirrhoe alternata
Common Nettle-tap, Anthophila fabriciana
Dark Strawberry Tortrix, Celypha lacunana
Hook-streak Grass-veneer, Crambus lathoniellus
Large Skipper, Ochlodes sylvanus
Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina
Plum Tortrix, Hedya pruniana
Twayblade orchid, Neottia ovata
Twayblade
Yellow Shell, Camptogramma bilineata
Arundel WWT:
Brown House Moth, Hofmannophila pseudospretella
Brown House Moth
Dark Arches, Apamea monoglypha
Dark Arches
Little Grey, Eudonia lacustrata
Little Grey
Moth Fly, Psychodid species
The Sycamore, Acronicta aceris
The Sycamore

Small China-mark, Ruby-tailed wasp and Lego

Ruby-tailed wasp, Chrysis species
On Monday 20th June I walked round the nature reserve in Mewsbrook Park and found several ladybird larvae and bugs and a Red-headed Cardinal Beetle. I have seen this beetle on most nature walks recently.
  On Tuesday we took Jackie to Arundel WWT and I saw my first Small China-mark moth on the reed-bed walk. A Ruby-tailed wasp flitted around on the wooden fencing outside the visitor centre, as Dave Fairlamb, centre manager, had described the previous evening at the supporter's club meeting. The Lego creatures were well done.
Mewsbrook Park:
Herring Gull eating flatfish
7-spot Ladybird larva, Propylea 7-punctata
Harlequin Ladybird larva, Harmonia axyridis
14-spot Ladybird larva, Propylea 14-punctata and Leafhopper, Eupteryx urticae
Common Green Capsid nymph, Lygocoris pabulinus
Common Nettle-tap, Anthophila fabriciana
Dagger Fly, Empis Opaca
Dark Strawberry Tortrix, Celypha lacunana
False Oil Beetle ♂, Oedemera nobilis
Green Chironomid midge
Hebe
Mirid bug nymph, Deraeocoris flavilinea
Mirid Bug, Liocoris tripustulatus
Red-headed Cardinal Beetle, Pyrochroa serraticornis
unidentified bee
Arundel WWT:

African White-backed Duck, Thalassornis leuconotus

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Dendrocygna autumnalis
Black-headed Gull with young, Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Black-necked Swan ♂, Cygnus melancoryphus
Canada Goose gosling, Branta canadensis
Harlequin Ladybird pupa, Harmonia axyridis
Lego flamingo
Lego Nēnē (Hawaiian Goose)
Lego Otter
Lego Red-breasted Goose
Lego Spoon-billed sandpiper
Mason bee, Megachile species
Moorhen chicks, Gallinula chloropus
Orinoco Goose, Neochen jubata
Red-breasted Goose, Branta Ruficollis
Shelduck with duckling, Tadorna tadorna
Small China-mark, Cataclysta lemnata
Small China-mark
Supermarine Spitfire Tr Mk IX SM520
Trumpeter Swan and cygnet, Cygnus buccinator
Tufted Duck with ducklings, Aythya fuligula
White-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus lucorum on Comfrey