20 Jun 23

Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadow

After the torrential rain we had last night, it was back to wall to wall blue skies.

There was only real highlight this afternoon and that was the incredible number of Silver Y's. I recorded well over 50, which were the ones I put up when walking through the meadow. I should imagine it was probably treble that, in the rest of the meadow and hedgerows.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Blackbird
1 Common Whitethroat
2 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Wren
Magpie
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

The male Common Whitethroat in the meadows is still in good voice.

And on a bramble a Dunnock looks on.

Butterflies Recorded:
2 Small Skipper
3 Large White
2 Small White
4 Speckled Wood
20+ Meadow Brown
2 Marbled White

A Small Skipper

And a Speckled Wood

A Meadow Brown and.........

...........another one.

A Marbled White on a Common Knapweed.

Moths Recorded:
50+ Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

I don't think I've ever seen so many Silver Y's. Every step I made in the meadow, they were flying up out of the grass.

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

A Honey Bee on Knapweed

Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)


Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

hoverfly sp.

A Common Dronefly

hoverfly sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata)

A Dagger Fly

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)


Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Great Green Bush Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima)

This is a Great Green Bush Cricket and as........

..........it moved to its right, it revealed it was a female, by her long ovipositor, which she uses to lay eggs in the ground.

Plants:
Provence Rose (Rosa gallica)

This is a Provence Rose, which.............

...........has established itself in the meadow.

Ted:

It was a bit cooler today, just right for a walk.