5 Jul 23

Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadows

Today was about the one that got away, a Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa sp.). Close to the meadow is a narrow path with lots of Blackberry bushes in flower. As I walked past one of the brambles, this rare vagrant took off from one of the flowers. I tried following its flight but lost it as it disappeared over the buddleia. So close!!

Alas not my video, but one from Germany which shows just how amazing the colours are with these Carpenter Bees. More on these bees Here.

It was also a good day for butterflies, especially with increased numbers of Marbled Whites in the meadow with a good 15 or more on the wing.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

2 House Martin

Dunnock

Blackbird

1 Chiffchaff (singing)

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Jackdaw

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded:
2 Small Skipper
1 Large Skipper
2 Large White
10+ Meadow Brown
6 Gatekeeper
15+ Marbled White
1 Small Blue

A male Small Skipper

And a female Small Skipper. There is a very good blog on identifying Essex, Small and Large Skippers Here.

A Meadow Brown

Not a Meadow Brown, but a worn Gatekeeper.

Here are two more Gatekeepers.........

.............in better condition.

A female Marbled White and............

.........I think this one was a male.

And finally a Small Blue

Moths Recorded:

Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)

I think these.......

.................two are Garden Grass-veneers (Chrysoteuchia culmella)

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)
Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa sp.)

This Honey Bee flew in twice in its effort to dispatch this Marbled White from the Blackberry flower. it failed on both attempts which surprised me.

Well this is a male Red-tailed Bumblebee and this........

............is a worker Red-tailed Bumblebee

A Common Carder Bee

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


Ichneumon Wasps Recorded:
Ichneumon sp

An Ichneumon sp

Hoverflies Recorded:
#1 - Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

#2 - hoverfly sp. (Possibly another Marmalade Hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus)

#3 - hoverfly sp. 
#4 - Bumblebee Plumehorn (Volucella plumata)

#1 - A very orange looking Marmalade Hoverfly.

#2 - hoverfly sp. (Possibly another Marmalade Hoverfly)

#2 - hoverfly sp

#4 - Bumblebee Plumehorn (Volucella plumata)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Lucerne Bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus)

This is a Common Green Shieldbug 3rd instar nymph. More on Common Green Shieldbugs Here.

A lone Common Red Soldier Beetle, which also goes by their other name....

.......of Hogweed Bonking Beetle.

A male Swollen-thighed Beetle and.........

............a female minus the swollen thighs, which are only found on the males.

And this is I believe a Lucerne Bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus). More on this bug Here.

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii)

Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus)
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)

Note:

There were crickets and grasshoppers everywhere, with the crickets tending to be close to the surround bushes, where they disappeared very quickly.

I think this one is a Dark Bush-cricket

This one a Roesel's Bush-cricket

This I believe is a brown male variant of the Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus)

And a Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus). Plus........

............two......

...........more.

Lacewings and Scorpionflies Recorded:

Hemerobius sp.

A Hemerobius sp. More on hemerobiidae here.

Froghoppers Recorded:
Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)

I hadn't realised at the time, but when I photographed this Small Blue butterfly, I also had a Common Froghopper in the shot. More on Common Froghoppers Here.

Ted:

Ted waiting patiently for me to catch up. This is the narrow path where I came across the Carpenter Bee sp.