Port and Wey: 16 Jul 25

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Wildlife Site and Wakeham Meadows

Ted and I just made it home, as a few drops of rain began to fall at the end of our walk. The walk itself started off in sunshine, but the clouds soon moved in.

It was another really good day for butterflies with 8 species recorded, but where have all the Chalk Hill Blues gone!! And it wasn't just the butterflies but it was also a good day for moths.

A really good highlight was finding a Brassy Mining Bee Lasioglossum morio. Below are a couple of photos and a video of this tiny green sweat bee, which is a first for me.

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

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
10+ Large White Pieris brassicae
10+ Small White Pieris rapae
5 Green-veined White Pieris napi
4 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
4 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
20+ Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
4 Marbled White Melanargia galathea
12 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
0 Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon - Not a single one seen!!

A Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

There are still good numbers of Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus on the wing.

Here is another one.

These Marbled Whites Melanargia galathea are not the easiest of butterflies to photograph.

There were a good dozen or so Common Blues Polyommatus icarus about, but where have all the Chalk Hill Blues, from two days ago, disappeared to.

This is a female Common Blue.

Moths Recorded:

20+ Six-Spot Burnet moth Zygaena filipendulae

1 Bordered Marble Endothenia marginana

1 Sulphur Pearl Sitochroa palealis

1 Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata

1 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

1 moth sp.

This Six-Spot Burnet moth Zygaena filipendulae failed to "pump" up its wing when it emerged. At least it's able to feed on the nectar from the flowers on this Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris.

This Six-Spot Burnet moth sat on this Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra shows how the wings should have developed.

Sulphur Pearl Sitochroa palealis

A Bordered Marble Endothenia marginana

A Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata

A Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

The camera just wouldn't focus on this moth. A real shame as the dark colour of it looks quite interesting.

Bees Recorded:

Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Brassy Mining Bee Lasioglossum morio AKA Common Green Furrow Bee
Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum

Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

This green sweat bee is a..............

.................Brassy Mining Bee Lasioglossum morio AKA Common Green Furrow Bee

A Honey Bee Apis mellifera lands on the bramble flower and scares off the Brassy Mining Bee Lasioglossum morio.

A Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum

A Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
German Wasp Vespula germanica

A German Wasp Vespula germanica on Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
4 Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea

1 Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri

Syrphus sp.

A Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus coming into land on a bramble flower

A Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea on Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare

Just the one Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri seen today.

A syrphus sp. hoverfly

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Flesh Fly Sarcophaga sp.
Red-spotted Parasite Fly Eriothrix rufomaculata
Greenbottle Lucilia sp.