The weather forecast was for the morning cloud to clear, so Ted and I decided on a walk in the reasonably cool conditions. The timing wasn't too bad, but by the end of it the cloud was replaced by blue skies and of course a very warm sun.
Main highlight today went to the butterflies with five species recorded including my first Gatekeeper of the year.
Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Butterflies Recorded:
2 Small Skipper
30+ Meadow Brown
1 Gatekeeper
2 Marbled White
2 Common Blue
A Small Skipper
A very damaged Meadow Brown
My first Gatekeeper this year.
And a pristine looking Marbled White
Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
#1 - Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
#2 - Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
#3 - Sweat Bee (Sphecodes sp.)
#4 - Bee sp.
#5 - Colletes sp.#6 - Bee sp.
...............colletes. I've narrowed it down and it could well be one of these. Davies' Bee (Colletes daviesanus), Hairy-saddled Colletes (Colletes fodiens), Sea Aster Bee (Colletes halophilus),
Plasterer Bee (Colletes similis) or Common Colletes (Colletes succinctus)
Below are a few photos and a video of a pair of Sand Wasps.
Sawflies Recorded:
Turnip Sawfly (Athalia rosae)
Hoverflies Recorded:
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
Spiders Recorded:
Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)
Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
On the far right is a Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) with a Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata) it has just caught. Top left are two male Swollen-thighed Beetles (Oedemera nobilis) fighting.
Ants Recorded:
Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)
Plants:
Bramble (Rubus fruticosusa)
General Shots:
At long last the building company have conceded, that they will not be building on the meadow and have now taken the fence down along the path.
#1 - A Honey Bee takes off from this Blackberry flower
#2 - This is a female Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
#3 - A Sweat Bee (Sphecodes sp.). More on this species here.
#4 - A bee sp.
#5 - And this bee is..............
...........a member of the.........
Plasterer Bee (Colletes similis) or Common Colletes (Colletes succinctus)
#6 - bee sp.
#6 - bee sp.
#6 - bee sp.
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
2 Sand Wasp sp.
2 Sand Wasp sp.
(No sound)
Sawflies Recorded:
Turnip Sawfly (Athalia rosae)
This is a................
...........Turnip Sawfly (Athalia rosae)
Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans)
Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans)
A Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
A Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans) - variety plumata
Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata)
Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa)
Noon Fly (Mesembrina meridiana)
#1 - cranefly sp.
#2 - fly sp.
#3 - fly sp.
#3 - fly sp.
#4 - Greenbottle (Lucilia sp.)
A Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa)
A Noon Fly (Mesembrina meridiana)
#1 - cranefly sp.
#2 - fly sp.
#3 - fly sp.
#4 - Greenbottle (Lucilia sp.)
Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Trivial Plant Bug (Closterotomus trivialis)
miridae sp.
miridae sp.
A Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
A couple of photos of a...................
.....................Trivial Plant Bug (Closterotomus trivialis)
Joining this unidentified fly on this Hawkweed are two miridaes.
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
A Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)
Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
A very young Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) with its prey.
Ants Recorded:
Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)
A Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)
Bramble (Rubus fruticosusa)
Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
Common Hawkweed (Hieracium vulgatum)
Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)
Dog Rose (Rosa canina)
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Hedge Bedstraw (Galium album)
Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa)
Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)
Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum)
Provence Rose (Rosa gallica)
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)
Wall Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
White Clover (Trifolium repens)
Wild Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Common Hawkweed (Hieracium vulgatum)
Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)
Dog Rose (Rosa canina)
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Hedge Bedstraw (Galium album)
Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa)
Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)
Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum)
Provence Rose (Rosa gallica)
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)
Wall Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
White Clover (Trifolium repens)
Wild Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
This plant is..........
............Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
This plant is.............
..............Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum)
The Provence Rose (Rosa gallica) in the meadow is looking pretty amazing.
Ted:
A cooler day and a good walk for Ted.