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01 May, 2011

Sandhouse Lane NR

Another fine April day with plenty of wildlife to enjoy. A small micro moth turned out to be Grapholita jungiella which was new for me - other day-fliers included Common Heath and Pyrausta purpuralis. There were  plenty of butterflies too:

    • Dingy Skipper - 1
    • Small White - 1
    • Green Hairstreak - 9
    • Small Copper - 2
    • Holly Blue - 1
    • Red Admiral - 1
    • Speckled Wood - 4
Speckled Wood


Dragons were in evidence with four Downy Emerald, Large Red and Common Blue Damselfly.

Downy Emerald

Grapholita jungiella

27 April, 2011

Garden Moths 26/04/11

Last nights 'highlights' were Heart and Dart, and another Nut-tree Tussock. A distant Tawny Owl could be heard calling.

2425 Nut-tree Tussock

2089 Heart and Dart

25 April, 2011

Large Red Damselfly & Nut-tree Tussock

Two new insects for the garden - 2425 Nut-tree Tussock (this was the ONLY moth in the trap last night!) and today, a Large Red Damselfly landed on the berberis.

2425 Nut-tree Tusscok

Large Red Damselfly

21 April, 2011

Holly on Holly

The Spring heatwave continues with the daytime temperature peaking at 24 C. I took my first sojourn in to King's Wood, Heath & Reach and a number of butterflies were active, including a Holly Blue on a Holly bush. There was at least one Large White, a few Orange Tip, a Red Admiral and five Speckled Wood. Bluebells seem to carpet the woodland floor while overhead a pair of Common Buzzard displayed around the nest tree. A drumming Great-spotted Woodpecker revealed its presence in the canopy and a Treecreeper flitted from tree to tree. Very pleasant!

Garden moth trapping last night revealed:
    • Argyrotaenia ljungiana - 2
    • Twenty-plume Moth (Alucita hexadactyla) - 1
    • Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) - 1
    • Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviata) - 2
    • Oak-tree Pug (Eupithecia dodoneata) - 2
    • Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) - 1
    • Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) - 1
    • Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) - 2
    • Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) - 1
    • Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) - 2

Holly Blue

Bluebells
There were many hundreds of Green Longhorn Adela reaumurella dancing in the sunlight  only occasionally resting  - this one close to a crab spider...

Green Longhorn Adela reaumurella
2003 Pebble Prominent


20 April, 2011

Bugs

The glorious weather continues (although the nights are still on the chilly side) and it was a trip to the garden centre, followed by strenuous work catching up on some of those put-off tasks. The lawn now has a 'meadow' section, that is to say, left to its own devices! Invertebrates found there today included Green Shield Bug,  Hawthorn Shield Bug and two of the pyralid moth Pyrausta aurata - all first records for the year. A male Xysticus cristatus (a c.6mm 'crab' spider) was turfed out of the kitchen in to the berberis shrub where, no doubt, it will prey on the pyralid, or, strangely enough, the ants which run up and down the Honeysuckle stem growing through said bush.

Garden moth trapping last night revealed:
    •  648 White-shouldered House Moth -1
    • 1906 Brimstone Moth - 1
    • 2187 Common Quaker - 1
    • 2190 Hebrew Character - 2

Hawthorn Shieldbug

Green Shieldbug

1361 Pyrausta aurata

Xysticus cristatus
1906 Brimstone Moth


09 April, 2011

Early Moths

I don't mean Early Moth Theria primaria  but moth trapping in my Garden (SP9326) during the very warm spell this April turned up Bedfordshire's earliest Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina, and at the Local Patch (TL0024) the second earliest Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica.

Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina
08/04/2011
SP9326

Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica
01/04/2011
TL0024

06 April, 2011

Holly Blue

The Holly Blue seems to be having a good season. This individual was basking in the unseasonably warm sun in the garden.