28 Jul 25

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Wildlife Site and Wakeham Meadows

It was a late afternoon walk around my local patch, with the main highlight being a Chiffchaff calling from the wildlife site. Other highlights were a Painted Lady (sadly no photo), and six species of moths.

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


Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon


Butterflies Recorded:
8+ Large White Pieris brassicae
8+ Small White Pieris rapae
5 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
3 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
10+ Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
5 Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon

A Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina

A male Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon

Moths Recorded:
1 Triple-stripe Piercer Grapholita compositella

2 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

20+ Six-Spot Burnet moth Zygaena filipendulae

5 Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana

1 Dingy Footman Eilema griseola

2 Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis

A Triple-stripe Piercer Grapholita compositella.

A Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

And another Rush Veneer

Six-Spot Burnet moths Zygaena filipendulae on Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra

Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana

A Dingy Footman Eilema griseola

A Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum

A Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
5 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
1 Black Slip Wasp Pimpla rufipes

A Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

A Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris with what I think is a fly it has just caught.

A Black Slip Wasp Pimpla rufipes

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri
Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea

Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
Lesser Golden Knapweed Fly Chaetorellia jaceae
Red-spotted Parasite Fly Eriothrix rufomaculata

A Lesser Golden Knapweed Fly Chaetorellia jaceae

A Red-spotted Parasite Fly Eriothrix rufomaculata

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata
Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina

A 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata

A 3rd instar nymph Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina on a Blackberry

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera
Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus
Large Conehead Ruspolia nitidula

A Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus

According to Obsidentify and this is a Large Conehead Ruspolia nitidula. If so, it is a first for me on Portland.

A male Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera

Spiders Recorded:
Crab spider sp.

spider sp.

A Crab Spider sp.

On this Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare a spider has caught a fly, but seems reluctant to deal with it!!

Froghoppers Recorded:
Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

A Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

Plants:
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Buddleia Buddleja davidii
Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Greater Burdock Arctium lappa
Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum AKA 'Raspberries and Cream'
Large Bindweed Calystegia silvatica
Lesser Burdock Arctium minus
Wild Clematis Clematis vitalba
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus
Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare

Ted:

Well he did start off running!!

And where have you been Ted?

27 Jul 25

Wakeham

A day in the back garden again.

A worker Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

And a male Red-tailed Bumblebee

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum

Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

A Yellow-legged Tiger Crane fly Nephrotoma flavipalpis

I have no idea what has eaten this Oak leaf. Whatever it was, it was following the veins. Odd!!!

26 Jul 25

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Wildlife Site and Wakeham Meadows

After the unexpected rain this morning, the sun did eventually appear and we had a very sunny and warm afternoon on Portland.

There were quite a few highlights with a a lot of new insects to add to my Port and Wey lists.

And yet again I came across another "Pink" Meadow Grasshopper. Up until a few days I had only seen two, both of which were in 2018. However since 21 Jul 25 I have seen a further 3. 


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

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
7 Large White Pieris brassicae
4 Small White Pieris rapae
1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
2 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
1 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
20+ Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
5 Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon

The only Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus I found today.

A male Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon

Moths Recorded:
10+ Six-Spot Burnet moth Zygaena filipendulae
3 Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata

1 Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana - possibly

8 Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana

1 Boxtree Moth Cydalima perspectalis

2 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

A Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata

And another  Small Fan-footed Wave

A Tortrix moth. Possibly a Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana

A Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana

And another Yellow-spot Tortrix 

And my first ever Boxtree Moth Cydalima perspectalis which I found close to the meadow here.

A Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Large Meadow Mining Bee Andrena labialis

A Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
3 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
2 German Wasp Vespula germanica
1 Common Hover Fly Parasitoid Wasp Diplazon laetatorius

On this Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare we have.....................

........a Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris on the left and a German Wasp Vespula germanica on the right.

A Common Hover Fly Parasitoid Wasp Diplazon laetatorius

Sawflies Recorded:

1 Berberis Sawfly Arge berberidis

It was a day of firsts. This time a Berberis Sawfly Arge berberidis

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri 
Syrphus sp.

A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

On this Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris are two Dead Head Hoverflies Myathropa florea and a female Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis. Note the difference in size between the two hoverflies. The difference in size is down to how much food the larvae were able to eat before they pupated.

A Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri on Wild Fennel

A Syrphus sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
1 Yellow-legged Tiger Crane fly Nephrotoma flavipalpis

Leaf Miner Phytomyza lappae

Tachinidae Fly Thelaira nigripes

Red-spotted Parasite Fly Eriothrix rufomaculata

Oriental Latrine fly Chrysomya megacephala

A Yellow-legged Tiger Crane fly Nephrotoma flavipalpis and a new cranefly for my Port and Wey list

The larvae of the Leaf Miner Phytomyza lappae has been mining on the leaf of this Greater Burdock Arctium lappa.

A Tachinidae Fly Thelaira nigripes

A Red-spotted Parasite Fly Eriothrix rufomaculata

Possibly an Oriental Latrine fly Chrysomya megacephala.

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

1 Grass Bug Stenodema laevigata

1 Rose Chafer Cetonia aurata

This is a Grass Bug Stenodema laevigata sat on a Sycamore leaf. and yet another new species for my list.

A Rose Chafer Cetonia aurata

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus

And another "pink" Meadow Grasshopper. Here is an extract from the National Geographic for a Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelusax, which states "It is called erythrism an unusual and little-understood genetic mutation caused by a recessive gene similar to that which affects albino animals. This mutation results in one of two things happening or even a combination of the two; a reduction or even absence of the normal pigment and/or the excessive production of other pigments, in this case red which results in pink morphs". 

And a "normal" Meadow Grasshopper. However even this colouration can differ.

Lacewings and Scorpionflies Recorded:
Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea

A Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea

Spiders Recorded:
1 Common Hammock-weaver Linyphia triangularis

A new spider for my list. This is a Common Hammock-weaver Linyphia triangularis

Plants:
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Greater Burdock Arctium lappa
Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum
Lesser Burdock Arctium minus
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus

Ships Today:

When I took this photo I thought it would be pretty straightforward in finding out the name of the boat and what country of origin it was.

And then I discovered that this vessel along with hundreds of others were part of the The Rolex Fastnet Race, which includes a Cowes to Cherbourg leg. More on this race here, here and here.