The drop in temperature has certainly brought the insects out, especially bugs. For weeks now I have only seen Red Soldier Beetles, Swollen-thighed Beetles and a few miridae sps. Well today they were joined by a ladybird and two other bugs.
And for the first time this Summer, I didn't see any Ringlets. However there were many more Gatekeepers on the wing, though Marbled Whites and Meadow Brown numbers are dwindling.
There were quite a few "blue" butterflies today with equal numbers of Common Blue and Chalkhill Blues.
On the moth front I came across dozens of micro-moths, but the stiff breeze made it impossible to ID them. The number of Six-Spot Burnet moths I came across was just five, the lowest total this Summer.
And for the first time this Summer I managed to find 2 species of cricket and 3 species of grasshopper all in the same field.
It was only last week that I came across dozens of Lesser Golden Knapweed Flies (Chaetorellia jaceae). Today there were none!!! But I did come across several Red Spotted Parasite Flies (Eriothrix rufomaculata)
Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Linnet
Goldfinch
Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Small White
Speckled Wood
Meadow Brown
Gatekeeper
Marbled White
2 Painted Lady
Common Blue
Chalk Hill Blue
A Meadow Brown
And a Gatekeeper. "Spot" the difference!!!
Still a few Marbled Whites about, though.................
...............a few are looking a bit battered now.
It always seems to be Marbled Whites that like sitting on my hand.
A male Common Blue
And another male Common Blue
And a third male Common Blue
This is a female Common Blue
A male Chalkhill Blue
And another male Chalkhill Blue
A male Chalkhill Blue with its wings partially open.
And the same again another male Chalkhill Blue.
#1 - Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)
#2 - Rosy-striped Knot-horn (Oncocera semirubella)
#3 - Marbled Bell (Eucosma campoliliana)
#1 - A rather worn Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)
#1 - And another Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae) in slightly better condition.
#2 - A Rosy-striped Knot-horn (Oncocera semirubella). This one seems to be quite dark in colour especially the red.
#3 - A Marbled Bell (Eucosma campoliliana)
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)
A Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
And a "light-coloured" Honey Bee (Apis mellifera), due to being covered in white pollen
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) on Lesser Burdock
A Red-tailed Bumblebee on Knapweed
And both of these..........
..........Common Carders are on Lesser Burdock
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Barred Anthill Hoverfly (Xanthogramma citrofasciatum)
A Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax) on Fennel
Also on the Fennel was...........
...............this Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
A Barred Anthill Hoverfly (Xanthogramma citrofasciatum)
#1 - Red Spotted Parasite Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)
#2 - fly sp.
#3 - fly sp.
#1 - Red Spotted Parasite Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)
#2 - fly sp.
#3 - fly sp.
#3 - showing its orange abdomen. Or is a parasitic wasp!!!!
22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora 22-punctata)
Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Miridae Bug (Acetropis gimmerthalii)
Shieldbug sp.
A 22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora 22-punctata)
Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
A male Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
And a female Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis), minus the swollen thighs.
Miridae Bug (Acetropis gimmerthalii)
Climbing over this Lesser Burdock was this bug. Possibly it...........
...........is an instar of one of the shieldbug species. One to check later.
Great Green Bush Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima)
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus)
A Great Green Bush Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima)
And a Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera) hiding in amongst the Ivy
A Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) hiding.
This Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) was a bit more confiding
Lacewings and Scorpionflies Recorded:
lacewing sp.
Plants:
Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)
This is Hemp Agrimony and is............
.............also known as 'Raspberries and Cream'.
Ted:
And of course Ted, who is sat under one of his shady Sycamores he likes.