Port and Wey: July 2024

Wakeham

It was another busy day in the back garden, cutting back lots of Ivy which is threatening to take over. It's going to be a lot of trips to the local tip to get rid of it all.

It was a very windy day and mostly cloudy, but there was still quite a bit to see when I took time off for a drink.

Mammals Recorded:
1 Brown Rat

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Blackbird
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

As I was clearing the ground under the Cherry Tee, this Woodpigeon was sat on the branch above me. It looked like it was keeping one eye on me and the other on the cherry in front of it.

Amphibians Recorded:
2 Palmate Newt

Having topped up the "Tractor Tyre" pond, I think the Palmate Newts...........

.............were quite pleased with the extra volume of water to swim about in.

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
1 Azure Damselfly

This male Azure Damselfly............

..........was busy doing a bit of self grooming.

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Large White

Bees Recorded:

Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

bee sp.

A Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) on Purple Loosestrife

Possibly a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), but I can't quite make out the buff in the tail!!

A White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)

And a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

I'm not sure what species of bee this is. It.......

.............certainly has a gingery thorax and a very dark abdomen.

Hoverflies Recorded:
6 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
1 Pied Hoverfly (Scaeva pyrastri)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:

Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa)

Semaphore Fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus)

#1 - fly sp.

#2 Greenbottle (Lucilia sp.)

#3 - Flesh fly sp.

#4 - fly sp.

#5 - cranefly sp.

A Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa)

This is a............

..........male Semaphore Fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus)

#1 - This fly was close to the Semaphore fly and was identical in size. I have no idea what it is though.

#2 - Greenbottle (Lucilia sp.)

#3 - Flesh fly sp.

#4 - fly sp.

#5 - cranefly sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)
Rough-Haired Lagria Beetle (Lagria hirta)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)

This odd coloured grasshopper is I believe a Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus). Not all grasshoppers are green and this particular species does have many variations in colour. I will check. More on this grasshopper here.

Ants Recorded:
Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)

A Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)

Froghoppers Recorded:

Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)

This is............

...............Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)

More on this froghopper here.

Plants:
French Crane's-bill (Geranium endressii)

This plant is..........

...................French Crane's-bill (Geranium endressii)

Ted:

Hi Ted. Are you in there!! Groom room soon.

Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadows

Well what an interesting walk that was, with my first Ringlets of the year, a new moth for my Portland list and a solitary Pyramidal Orchid in the meadow. The latter is the first time I have seen this orchid species at this location.

Birds Recorded:
Buzzard
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Blackbird
1 Blackcap
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

A Dunnock

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Small Skipper
2 Speckled Wood
2 Ringlet
20+ Meadow Brown
5 Gatekeeper
10+ Marbled White

A very worn Speckled Wood

My first Ringlet for the year

Still plenty of Meadow Browns about

A Gatekeeper

And a Marbled White

Moths Recorded:
8+ Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)

1 Crescent Plume (Marasmarcha lunaedactyla)

1 Hoary Tortrix (Eucosma cana)

#1 - moth sp.

Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)

A Crescent Plume (Marasmarcha lunaedactyla)

Hoary Tortrix (Eucosma cana). Also known as Hoary Bell and a new moth for my moth list.

#1 - moth sp.

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Ichneumon Wasp sp.

An Ichneumon Wasp sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)

#1 - hoverfly sp.

Here are a couple of............

...........photos of a female Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)

#1 - hoverfly sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Blue Blowfly (Calliphora vicina)
Greenbottle (Lucilia sp.)
Jet-black Parasite Fly (Zophomyia temula)
5 Red Spotted Parasite Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)
1 Thick-headed Fly (Sicus ferrugineus)
20+ Yellow Bellied Fly (Sciara hemerobioides)

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - fly sp.

A Red Spotted Parasite Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)

Yellow Bellied Fly (Sciara hemerobioides)

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - fly sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

Common Green Capsid (Lygocoris pabulinus)

Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

A male Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

Common Green Capsid (Lygocoris pabulinus)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Great Green Bush Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima)

Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)

Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus)

Crickets

A Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)

A Great Green Bush Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima)

And another Great Green Bush Cricket showing just how long their antennae are.

Grasshoppers

There are so many colour variations and patterns with grasshoppers, that I can't be 100% I have ID'd those below correctly. I will check with the experts and get back with the results soonest.