15 Aug 24

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows and Wakeham Wildlife Site

Despite it being very windy, with gust reaching 33mph, plus a full cloud cover, it was actually quite mild and humid, especially in the more sheltered spots.

Unsurprisingly it was pretty difficult to find any insects in the blustery conditions, and as for the butterflies they were all hiding in the grass, bar a Speckled Wood in a hedgerow.

I also came across a moth sp.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Wren
Magpie
Starling
House Sparrow
Goldfinch


Butterflies Recorded:
1 Speckled Wood
3 Meadow Brown
Gatekeeper - None
6 Common Blue
1 Chalk Hill Blue

Sitting on this Old Man’s Beard (Clematis vitalba) is a Speckled Wood.

Keeping out of the wind was this Meadow Brown and......

........this male and.........

...........female Common Blue

Moths Recorded:
1 Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)
10+ Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)
1 moth sp.

This was the only Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae) I found today.

There are still quite a few Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana) about.

And my mystery moth is a !!!

Bees Recorded:

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum)

To the left of the Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae) is I believe a White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum), whilst.......

............this very similar looking bumblebee is a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) with its thin buff band between the white tail and the black of the abdomen. 

A Common Carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) on a Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)

And my.........

.............very small bee today.........

...............is a Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum)

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) - None seen at the nest entrance!!


Hoverflies Recorded:
1 Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

A side-profile of a Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) on Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)

And a Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Greenbottle (Lucilia sp.)
House Fly (Neomyia sp.)

1 fly sp.

A fly I think!!

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
2 Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa)

Cover Black Knee (Plagiognathus arbustorum)

These two are............

..............Bloody-nosed Beetles (Timarcha tenebricosa). This one was a bit camera shy.

And a Cover Black Knee (Plagiognathus arbustorum)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
None seen.

Slugs and Snails Recorded:
3 Large Red Slug (Arion ater)


Plants:
Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)
Large Bindweed (Calystegia silvatica)
Lesser Burdock (Arctium minus)
Old Man’s Beard (Clematis vitalba)


Ted:

It looks like I might have to bring my secateurs along with me next time. Don't panic Ted, not for you, but for all the brambles growing across the track.