13 Jul 25

Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadows

It was a late walk, in slightly cooler conditions and a walk which has lots of spots where Ted could sit in the shade.

Main highlight was the incredible number of Six-Spot Burnet moths with well over 50 seen. Other highlights were 4 Swallows heading south and a Chiffchaff calling by the meadow.

Today I saw my first Chalkhill Blue for the year along Old Quarry Lane, and was one of 12 butterfly species recorded along my walk.


Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
4 Swallow
Dunnock
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff (calling)
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch


Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon


Butterflies Recorded:
1 Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
10+ Large White Pieris brassicae
10+ Small White Pieris rapae
6 Green-veined White Pieris napi
2 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
4 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
5 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
20+ Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
1 Marbled White Melanargia galathea
2 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
10+ Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
6 Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon

A Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

A Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus on...........

...............a bramble flower.

A Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus

My first female................

..................... Common Blue Polyommatus icarus this year.

And my first Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon.............................

.....................of the year.

Moths Recorded:
1 Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella
40+ Six-Spot Burnet moth Zygaena filipendulae

An unusual view of a Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella with its wings wide open.

I don't think I have ever seen so many...............

........Six-Spot Burnet moths Zygaena filipendulae. There must have been a good 40 or more in the meadow and lane.

As this Six-Spot Burnet moth took off from this Greater Burdock Arctium lappa......

.......so it spooked a Banded Burdock Fly Terellia tussilaginis

And quite a few mating.

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Honey Bee Apis mellifera
30+ Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

A very pale-looking Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:

Ichneumon Wasp sp.

An Ichneumon Wasp sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
2 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
 Long Hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta
40+ Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
5 Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri
Syrphus sp.

On the flowerhead of this Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare were 2 Pied Hoverflies Scaeva pyrastri, a hoverfly syrphus sp. and a Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

A hoverfly syrphus sp

One of five Pied Hoverflies Scaeva pyrastri seen today. AKA White-bowed Smoothwing.

Another Pied Hoverfly approaches the flowerhead of a Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare

There were dozens of Marmalade Hoverflies Episyrphus balteatus out today.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Flesh Fly Sarcophaga sp.
50+ Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

10+ Banded Burdock Fly Terellia tussilaginis
20+ House Flies Hydrotaea sp

On this Greater Burdock is a..............

.................Banded Burdock Fly Terellia tussilaginis. And........

.......there were many more.

House Flies Hydrotaea sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Common Green Capsid Lygocoris pabulinus
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
Potato Capsid Closterotomus norwegicus
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

A female Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis on Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris

Possibly a Potato Capsid Closterotomus norwegicus

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus

A very nice pose by a Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus

Lacewings and Scorpionflies Recorded:
Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea

A Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea

Ted:

Ted having a break

12 Jul 25

Wakeham

Here are a few photos from in and around the garden today.

And one of the best photos I have taken of a Willughby's Leafcutter Bee Megachile willughbiella. This individual was sat on a rose leaf, by the Courtyard and not like the others seen on the Lavender further down the garden. It even..............

..........let me video it from close range.

These two hoverflies are..........

.................possibly Meadow Field Syrph's Eupeodes latifasciatus. And if confirmed a new hoverfly species for my P&W list. It also goes by the name of Broad-banded Aphideater

A Vagrant Hoverfly Eupeodes corollae. And...........

..............another.

And another hoverfly species. This time a Common Spotted Field Syrph Eupeodes luniger. AKA a Black-tailed Aphideater.

And there were of Marmalade Hoverflies Episyrphus balteatus out today.

On top of the leaf of this Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus are the eggs of a Large White Pieris brassicae

Below is the Columbian Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Reg. N780AV being flown by Avianca. It is on its way from Bogota, Columbia to London Heathrow.

11 Jul 25

Wakeham

Here are a few photos from in and around the garden today.

A pair of Green-veined Whites Pieris napi mating.

A Vagrant Hoverfly Eupeodes corollae on one of the last surviving Oxeye Daisies Leucanthemum vulgare.

And this fly on another Oxeeye Daisy..........

...............is a Red-spotted Parasite Fly Eriothrix rufomaculata.

A Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

A 2nd instar Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina.

And our first BBQ of the year here at home.

10 Jul 25

Wakeham

Here are a few photos and a video from in and around the garden today.

One of the two Swifts which passed over the garden

Looking through the Cherry Tree I could see a juvenile Great Tit on the bird feeder.

A juvenile House Sparrow sat in the Buddleia............

................. waiting for mum to come and feed him.

A Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta basking on an Oak leaf.

And then feeding on the nectar from this Buddleia.

Before flying off to another flower.

A Honey Bee Apis mellifera in amongst the lavender.

A Vagrant Hoverfly Eupeodes corollae.

A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax with a Greenbottle Lucilia sp. looking down at it.

A Syrphus hoverfly sp.

A Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva

Dawn adding the...........

..............finishing touches to the "Bug House" she just made.

This is the privately owned Piper Tomahawk Reg. G-BPPF on its way from Jersey to Kemble. More on this aircraft here and a serious incident with this aircraft here in 2020.