A slight extension to yesterday's walk taking in Church Ope Cove. What didn't change though was the weather which was exactly the same as yesterday, with high humidity, thick Fog and hot sunny breaks.
Main highlights today were a Marbled White butterfly seen above Rufus Castle and Brimstone moth flushed at Church Ope Cove, both firsts for the year. Also seen great views of a male Broad-bodied Chaser along my "Mermaid" track.
Just 2 Wall Lizards seen, with my first ever on the beach at Church Ope Cove running across the pebbles.
There didn't seem to be that many butterflies about today, but apart from the Marbled White, I did record Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, 2 Large Skippers and Large White.
On the moth front I had the Brimstone mentioned above, 4 Silver-Y, 1 Six-spot Burnet moth and dozens of micro moths Micropterix aruncella (White-barred Gold). When I say micro they were tiny and around 3mm in length!
Quite a few sawflies about which I will try and ID, along with two Ichneumon wasps sp. and the weirdest group of small black bugs I have ever seen, which turned out to be early instar nymphs of the Southern Green Shieldbug (Nezara viridula).
What I did recognise though were a Drone Fly (Eristalis abusivus), Dark Bush-crickets, lots of Swollen-thighed Beetles (Oedemera nobilis), 2 Sicus ferrugineus flies, 2 Hornet Mimic Hoverflies (Volucella zonaria), a Pellucid Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) and a solitary Lackey moth caterpillar.
Here are a few images from this afternoon:
A Sawfly sp.
And another.
The same as above.
A male Broad-bodied Chaser along my "Mermaid" Track.
A Ringlet
An Ichneumon sp.
This is a Drone Fly, Eristalis abusivus
My first Wall Lizard actually on the pebbles on the beach at Church Ope Cove.
Still a lot of these Dark Bush-crickets about
What a truly stunning bee, but sadly not an Andrena that anyone can ID for me. So Andrena sp.
A male Swollen-thighed Beetle
This has to be the smallest moth I have ever encountered....
.....and there were loads in and around the Hebe on the beach.
These Sicus ferrugineus are certainly unusual looking. I came across two today.
An Ichneumon sp.
This is a Large Skipper.
These are really bizarre and are early instar nymphs of the Southern Green Shieldbug.
One of two Hornet Mimic Hoverflies seen today. My first this year
A Lackey moth caterpillar.
Another Wall Lizard on the wall up to St Andrew's Church
And another Large Skipper, this time in the grounds of St Andrew's Church
A Six-spot Burnet Moth in the church grounds again.
My first Pellucid Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) of the year.
