Port and Wey

25 Jun 25

Wakeham

It was just a quick look around the garden today, as I had a long visit this afternoon to the Dentist for root canal treatment. A very unpleasant procedure and unfortunately to be followed by round two tomorrow afternoon.

A sad note to start off with in the back garden, and that was a dead adult Goldfinch by the Cherry Tree. There was a bit of damage to it, and I suspect it was a cat that was the perpetrator.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Blackbird
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Goldfinch

A sad sight. A deceased adult Goldfinch.

And another Goldfinch close-by.

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
Small White Pieris rapae

Moths Recorded:
1 Silver Y Autographa gamma

Bees Recorded:
3 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum

A Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum on Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria

Hoverflies Recorded:
Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri

Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Thick-legged hoverfly Syritta pipiens

White-footed Hoverfly Platycheirus albimanus

A Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

A Thick-legged hoverfly Syritta pipiens

And a White-footed Hoverfly Platycheirus albimanus. I also came across a Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri, unfortunately it didn't stop for a photo.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies

A Greenbottle Lucilia sp. Apparently all Greenbottles bronze with age. This individual must be very old!!

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

24 Jun 25

Wakeham

Having been spoilt for the past few weeks with blues skies, lots of sunshine and warmth, it was back to earth with a bump today with full cloud cover, a massive drop in the temperature and a cold blustery south-westerly gusting at around 30mph. Not nice!

A quick walk around the garden revealed just 3 bees, two Common Carder and a Colletes Bee sp. There were no butterflies seen, but I did come across a flighty Orange-spot Tansy Moth

Birds Recorded:
Kittiwake
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Blackbird
Magpie
Starling
House Sparrow
Goldfinch

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Moths Recorded:
1 Orange-spot Tansy Moth Dichrorampha flavidorsana

A very flighty Orange-spot Tansy Moth Dichrorampha flavidorsana which eventually landed on this Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare and then scurried underneath the flowerhead.

Bees Recorded:
2 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
1 Colletes sp.

Sat on this Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare is a Colletes bee. As to which one I still don't know. Obsidentify is 99% sure it is either Davies' Colletes C. daviesanus, Hairy-saddled Colletes C. fodiens or Bare-saddled Colletes C. similis. They are so similar, I don't think I'll be able to ID which one this is!!

Hoverflies Recorded:
2 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

This Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus..............

..............proved to be very difficult to photograph in the howling wind.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Root-maggot fly Hydrophoria linogrisea - possibly

Lagria Parasite Fly Gastrolepta anthracina
Lance Fly Lonchaea tarsata - possibly

Lesser House Fly Fannia mollissima - possibly

A Root-maggot fly possibly Hydrophoria linogrisea............

.....................possibly another one.

This is a Lagria Parasite Fly Gastrolepta anthracina

This is a Lance Fly, possibly Lonchaea tarsata

Possibly a Lesser House Fly Fannia mollissima

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
1 Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

1 Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina - nymph

A female Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

A nymph Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina

23 Jun 25

Wakeham

It was an afternoon spent in the garden with a few things of interest noted. The first was a Small White butterfly which kept landing in amongst the wildflower patch. It didn't land on any of the flowers but was flitting about in amongst the leaves of several plants. I didn't see it lay any eggs, but it could well have been.

Also about was a Common Buzzard which was seen on its way by the local Herring Gulls.

And I found a new bug.

Birds Recorded in and around the garden:
1 Buzzard
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Blackbird
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Goldfinch

This Common Buzzard was mobbed time after time by this local Herring Gull, and eventually flew off.

A male House Sparrow sat on a Pyracantha waiting to visit the bird feeder.

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Small White Pieris rapae

My best effort in trying to photograph the Small White Pieris rapae in amongst the plants in the Wildflower Patch

Moths Recorded:
2 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana

Bees Recorded:
Sweat Bees sp.

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Broad-banded Hopper Wolf Gorytes laticinctus

A Broad-banded Hopper Wolf Gorytes laticinctus

Hoverflies Recorded:
Lesser Bulb Fly Eumerus funeralis
Mega Syrph Megasyrphus erraticus

A Lesser Bulb Fly Eumerus funeralis

This is quite possibly a Mega Syrph Megasyrphus erraticus. It is certainly not a hoverfly I have come across before, but thank you to Ed Wilson for sifting through Steven Falk's hoverflies here to ID this very large Syrphus.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
Black-horned Gem Microchrysa polita

Lagria Parasite Fly Gastrolepta anthracina

Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

A Black-horned Gem Microchrysa polita

A Lagria Parasite Fly Gastrolepta anthracina

A Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis
1 Yellow-lined Plant Bug Deraeocoris flavilinea

A female Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis on an Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare

Here she is getting ready for take-off.

And away she goes.

Now I'm confused. I have seen this bug many times before and have always known it to be a Red Bug Deraeocoris ruber. However using Obsidentify it is 100% certain it is a Yellow-lined Plant Bug Deraeocoris flavilinea

Spiders Recorded:
Flower Spider Misumena vatia - no sign of it!!

Plants:

Guelder Rose Viburnum opulus
Crown Daisy Glebionis coronaria
Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare

The Guelder Rose Viburnum opulus is now bearing fruit

The wildflower patch is going over now, but it's interesting to note that the remaining daisies left are Oxeye Daisies Leucanthemum vulgare and not the Crown Daisies Glebionis coronaria which have gone to seed.

22 Jun 25

Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadows

With slightly cooler conditions Ted and I had a walk along Old Quarry Lane and then a circuit in & around Wakeham Meadow.

Main highlights were my first two Ringlets of the Summer, plus a couple of Diamond-backed Moths. The latter a migratory moth which can travel up to 2000 miles. More on this moth here.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Dunnock

Blackbird

1 Common Whitethroat

Wren

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Jackdaw

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
5 Large White Pieris brassicae
3 Small White Pieris rapae
1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
2 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
4 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
2 Marbled White Melanargia galathea

6 Peacock Aglais io
1 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus

My first Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus seen this year.

The Marbled Whites Melanargia galathea are looking a bit worn now.

The most numerous of butterflies today were the Peacocks Aglais io

Just the one Common Blue Polyommatus icarus seen.

Moths Recorded:
5 Six-Spot Burnet moth Zygaena filipendulae
3 Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella

1 Hook-streaked Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus

2 Diamond-backed Moth Plutella xylostella

A Six-Spot Burnet moth Zygaena filipendulae

Another Six-Spot Burnet moth Zygaena filipendulae and a male Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis on a Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra, in slow-motion.

A Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella

And another Garden Grass-veneer.

Not a Garden Grass-veneer but a Hook-streaked Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus

My first Diamond-backed Moth Plutella xylostella of the year.

Bees Recorded:

Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum

Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrena flavipe

On the Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra is a Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum. And the out of focus hoverfly to the top of the photo is a Long Hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta.

And on another Common Knapweed was this worker Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

A very pale looking.............

.......................Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum

A Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrena flavipe on a Bramble Rubus fruticosusa flower.

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
wasp sp.

Sawflies Recorded:
Turnip Sawfly Athalia rosae

A Turnip Sawfly Athalia rosae on a..........

....................Common Carrot Daucus carota

Hoverflies Recorded:
Long Hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Syrphus sp.

A Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

And another Marmalade Hoverfly with a dusting of pollen over its body and wings.

A Syrphus sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

Thick-headed Fly Sicus ferrugineus

Pouting Woodlouse-fly Rhinophora lepida

#1 - fly sp.

#1 - fly sp. (From a slightly different angle. It doesn't really help)

#2 - Another fly sp.

Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

A Thick-headed Fly Sicus ferrugineus takes off from a Common Knapweed flower.

And another Thick-headed Fly.........

.....................resting up.

A Pouting Woodlouse-fly Rhinophora lepida

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis
Potato Capsid Closterotomus norwegicus

A male Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

And a female Swollen-thighed Beetle

Two Potato Capsids Closterotomus norwegicus on Common Knapweed

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus

Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus

And a different grasshopper.......

.............this time a Common Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus

Plants:
Alexanders Smyrnium olusatrum
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Buddleia Buddleja davidii
Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Common Carrot Daucus carota

Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris
Hedge Bedstraw Galium album
Lady's Bedstraw Galium verum
Common Agrimony Agrimonia eupatoria

Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus arvensis
Provence Rose Rosa gallica
Red Clover Trifolium pratense
St John's Wort Hypericum perforatum
Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare
Rose sp.