Port and Wey: 13 Jul 25

Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadows

It was a late walk, in slightly cooler conditions and a walk which has lots of spots where Ted could sit in the shade.

Main highlight was the incredible number of Six-Spot Burnet moths with well over 50 seen. Other highlights were 4 Swallows heading south and a Chiffchaff calling by the meadow.

Today I saw my first Chalkhill Blue for the year along Old Quarry Lane, and was one of 12 butterfly species recorded along my walk.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
4 Swallow
Dunnock
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff (calling)
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
10+ Large White Pieris brassicae
10+ Small White Pieris rapae
6 Green-veined White Pieris napi
2 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
4 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
5 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
20+ Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
1 Marbled White Melanargia galathea
2 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
10+ Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
6 Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon

A Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

A Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus on...........

...............a bramble flower.

A Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus

My first female................

..................... Common Blue Polyommatus icarus this year.

And my first Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon.............................

.....................of the year.

Moths Recorded:
1 Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella
40+ Six-Spot Burnet moth Zygaena filipendulae

An unusual view of a Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella with its wings wide open.

I don't think I have ever seen so many...............

........Six-Spot Burnet moths Zygaena filipendulae. There must have been a good 40 or more in the meadow and lane.

As this Six-Spot Burnet moth took off from this Greater Burdock Arctium lappa......

.......so it spooked a Banded Burdock Fly Terellia tussilaginis

And quite a few mating.

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Honey Bee Apis mellifera
30+ Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

A very pale-looking Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:

Ichneumon Wasp sp.

An Ichneumon Wasp sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
2 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
Long Hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta
40+ Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
5 Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri
Syrphus sp.

On the flowerhead of this Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare were 2 Pied Hoverflies Scaeva pyrastri, a hoverfly syrphus sp. and a Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

A hoverfly syrphus sp

One of five Pied Hoverflies Scaeva pyrastri seen today. AKA White-bowed Smoothwing.

Another Pied Hoverfly approaches the flowerhead of a Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare

There were dozens of Marmalade Hoverflies Episyrphus balteatus out today.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Flesh Fly Sarcophaga sp.
50+ Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

10+ Banded Burdock Fly Terellia tussilaginis
20+ House Flies Hydrotaea sp

On this Greater Burdock is a..............

.................Banded Burdock Fly Terellia tussilaginis. And........

.......there were many more.

House Flies Hydrotaea sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Common Green Capsid Lygocoris pabulinus
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
Potato Capsid Closterotomus norwegicus
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis