Well the temperature just keeps on rising, with a high of 23°C today. So with that in mind it was a sensible short walk across the road to the meadow, for me and Ted. Not only is there lots to see but there is also a fair bit of shade if Ted needed it.
We would have also included the Horse Paddock as part of our walk, but there are now 2 ponies in there. Not really an issue, but one of them is a bit frisky and with Ted's habitat of doing a buzz when he's playing, I just had a vision of them chasing each other around the paddock. Not a good idea.
So what were the highlights today, well really it should have been the good numbers of butterflies and moths, but two Greenfinches I came across in the trees alongside the Old Quarry Lane, took the prize. There are not too many Greenfinches about nowadays, so its always good to know that a few are still here in Wakeham and indeed on Portland.
Here are a few images and videos from today:
Old Quarry Lane now void of ant trees down the left hand side. even the Sycamore by the gate has now been chopped down.
At least the right hand side remains untouched and on the leaves of one Sycamore Tree I came across two Regal Piercer moths.
Also along here was this Orb Spider. There are a few similar looking species, which can't really be told apart in the field. However the number of paired black spots on the abdomen can help. This one has 4 pairs which would put it in the frame for a Cucumber Green Orb Spider (Araniella cucurbitina)
The "Wakeham" Meadow as I like to call it, and the Knapweed is really in flower now attracting many butterflies and moths. There were at least 6 Marbled Whites, several Meadow Browns and Ringlets, plus a Large Skipper.
No sign of any Six-spot Burnet moths yet. However it wasn't until I got home and was editing my images, that I realised there was a caterpillar of one under this umbellifer. So where are the adults
So many Silver Y's about. It didn't matter where you walked they were just taking off and heading for the bushes. I counted at least 8, but had I disturbed all of the meadow, who knows how many I would have counted.
A Thistle Ermine............
...........blowing around in the breeze.
I will check that these are correct, but there were dozens of.............
............these Garden Grass-veneers (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
............. so is this one. The variation is extraordinary. Many thanks to Nigel Sluman and Sean Foote for the corrections.
If I have this correct, this is a Large Meadow Mining Bee (Andrena labialis)
This umbellifer is absolutely teaming with insects, especially Swollen-legged Beetles, of which are all males.
The Parasitic Wasps I'm pretty sure are Gasteruption jaculator
Same again on another umbellifer more Gasteruption jaculator, Swollen-thighed Beetles and a couple of flies.
You could certainly hear the grasshoppers chirping away. This one is a Common Green Grasshopper or is it. The colours are all wrong. Under the head of this one it is yellow, and I cannot find a grasshopper to match that colouration. One to investigate further.
A Common Green Capsid on Knapweed.
An odd looking plant. Is this a flower head or the seeds.
One to ID later
Lady's Bedstraw, Galium verum
And this is why it was a short walk with lots of shade and a bottle of water. A very thirsty Ted
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded: 2 Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator)
Butterflies Recorded: Large Skipper, Large White, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Marbled White
Moths Recorded: 12+ Garden Grass-veneers (Chrysoteuchia culmella), 2 Regal Piercer (Pammene regiana), 8+ Silver Y (Autographa gamma), 1 Thistle Ermine (Myelois circumvoluta) and a Swan-feather Dwarf (Elachista argentella)
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) and Large Meadow Mining Bee (Andrena labialis)
Parasitic Wasps Recorded: 6 Gasteruption jaculator
Hoverflies Recorded: None
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Flies sp.
Lacewings and Scorpion Flies: Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded: Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus)!!
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) and Common Green Capsid (Lygocoris pabulinus)
Spiders Recorded: Cucumber Green Orb Spider (Araniella cucurbitina)