Common Shrew (Sorex araneus, #653)

I apprehended the cat following this shrew across the lawn, presumably having just caught it somewhere nearby. It’s a Common Shrew (Sorex araneus) and my first garden shrew. It is identified as Common rather than Pygmy Shrew by the thin, hairless tail and by the brown flanks sandwiched between its dark back and pale belly. Shrews secrete an unpleasant tasting fluid from their skin, which makes them less appetising to predators, and especially pampered cats,, so this one was relatively unhurt.

Southern Hawker

This Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea, #261) was caught by the cat, but I think its wings were already damaged or not fully developed. I released it alive, and as it is beautiful and I don’t get many dragonflies, I hope it survives. This species does live in small garden ponds, but also flies quite far afield. It’s a common dragonfly in Southern & Central England & Wales.

Eupeodes latifasciatus (#651)

A couple of more interesting hoverflies this week. Eupeodes latifasciatus (#651), this one a male caught sunbathing, is a new species for the garden. It took me a bit of time to get the identification as there are a few similar-looking hoverflies, but the pattern of yellow marks fused into bands and that close in at the lateral margin indicate this species.

The stocky hoverfly on the right is Myathropa florea (Deadhead Hoverfly, #324), which is an impressively marked species that doesn’t turn up often in the garden. I also saw one of the big hoverflies, maybe Volucella zonaria, quickly fly into the buddleia and then away - so I’ll be looking out for that over the next days.

#651 Eupeodes latifasciatus

#324 Deadhead Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

Lesser Waterboatman (Sigara lateralis, #646)

Another first, this time my first Waterboatmen, with a dozen or more caught in the moth trap. Looking like something from Roswell, these bugs (not beetles) are strong fliers and often attracted to light at night. There are several similar species, but based on pattern and leg/foot colour, I believe this one is Sigara lateralis. I released them in my small pond - may they be happy there!

The moth is a rather faded Double Square Spot, the first of these I’ve caught. Apart from a coupe of Large Yellow Underwings and an unidentified brown Caddisfly there wasn’t much else in the trap.

#646 Lesser Waterboatman (Sigara lateralis)

#645 Double Square-spot (Xestia triangulum)

Pests on my Veg Seedlings

Spectacular damage in the space of a few days to my Mizuna (Japanese mustard greens) and Swede seedlings. The final picture, of a Small White Butterfly caterpillar, was taken on 5th July and the first photo of the same leaves, devastated by flea beetles, on 16 July. Partaking in the feeding frenzy, four species of Brassica pest, all new to the list.

The main culprits were tiny black Cabbage-stem Flea Beetles (Psylliodes chrysocephala, #649) that eat little holes in the leaves of many types of Brassica. I also found one Lesser Striped Flea Beetle (Phyllotreta undulata, #647), with a cream-coloured stripe on its flanks. Both the Swede and Mizuna plants also had an infestation of Cabbage Stem Weevils (Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus, #468). The final pest, just on the Swede plants, was Mealy Cabbage Aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae, #650), with this winged adult, but also a fair few green coloured wingless immature aphids on the undersides of the leaves.

Flea Beetle Damage

#649 Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala)

#647 Lesser striped flea beetle (Phyllotreta undulata)

#648 Cabbage Stem Weevil (Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus)

#650 Mealy cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae)

#8 Small White (Pieris rapae)

Moths in the Garden

After a bit of a break from putting out the moth trap due to recent windy and wet weather, it went out at the weekend. This Common Rustic (Mesapamea secalis, #642) was the only new species, but the catch included a splendid pair of Buff Ermine moths (Spilosoma lutea). Another new moth is this leaf mine from the apple tree, which is from the tiny Apple Leaf Miner moth ( Lyonetia clerkella, #643).

#642 Common Rustic (Mesapamea secalis)

#643 Apple Leaf Miner (Lyonetia clerkella)

#593 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lutea)

#593 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lutea)

Leaf Galls at Kemerton

I recently became a “friend” of Kemerton Lakes Reserve, so took the opportunity to walk some of the member-only paths. One interesting thing I came across were leaf galls made by small mites. The red “pustules” on Field Maple are from a tiny mite called Aceria aceriscampestris, while those on the Alder are Eriophyes laevis.

There were a few past-their-best Pyramidal Orchids about, but this Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborineas) was in full bloom - a new orchid for me.

This fungus, looking like a cluster of dirty potatoes, growing on one of the paths was interesting, and so far I wasn’t able to put a name to it.

Aceria aceriscampestris on Field Maple

Eriophyes laevis on Alder

Broad-leaved Helleborine

Mystery fungus

Semaphore Fly - Poecilobothrus nobilitatus

This fly is easily recognised by its wings which are smoky black from about half way, with (in the male) distinctive white tips. They are usually found close to water, where they feed by catching small freshwater crustaceans and mosquito larvae from the surface. They have a complex courtship dance involving the male waving his wings at the female (hence the “semaphore” name) and then hovering in front of her, before embarking on an aerial display flight.

#239 Poecilobothrus nobilitatus

Balm of the Warrior's Wounds

Hypericum androsaemum or Tutsan s a member of the St John’s wort family. It’s a medicinal plant, used to heal wounds and burns, as an anti-septic and also as an anti-depressant, so has some colourful names like “Balm of the Warrior’s Wounds” and “Sweet Amber”. The name Tutsan sounds superficially Asian, but it is in fact a native plant found wild, mostly in the west of UK, with the name coming from the French “toute-sain”, literally all heal This example was found growing up between the cracks in the paving out the front of the house - which is definitely a Pathclear-free zone, and a as a result by late summer a riot of weeds. Tutsan is a common garden shrub as well, so probably this one arrived courtesy of a bird-dropped seed from a neighbouring garden.

For some reason I missed Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) off the list, but this is also a native hedgerow plant and I have a couple of clumps of it in the garden. They are there mostly for the scent and the insects, but this is another plant known for medicinal uses, including to treat respiratory and intestinal infections.

#640 Tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum)

#641 Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)

June Beetles

Last week there were some new beetles about. The brown coloured beetle is my first click beetle, Athous haemorrhoidalis. This is quite a common beetle of hedgerows and meadows, which like other click beetles can launch itself into the air with an audible click. The beetle lives on pollen, nectar and emerging foliage, bur during their 2 year larval stage the grubs if present in large numbers can damage crops and turf.

The shiny black rove beetle is of the genus Philonthus, potentially P. laminatus; there’s quite a few species to choose from, and they are very similar. This one is very uniform glossy black, including the legs. The small ladybird is a 10-spotted one, Adalia decempunctata. There are many colour variations to this species, which can even (despite its name) have up to 15 spots. These are a gardener’s friend, preying on aphids.

#636 Athous haemorrhoidalis

#627 Philonthus sp.

#512 Ten-spot Ladybird (Adalia decempunctata)

Kestrel

I do sometimes get them overhead, but this is the first time I saw a Kestrel (Falco subbuteo, #589) actually perched in the trees around the garden. This is an adult male. maybe looking for some easy prey such as a young bird to take back to its own chicks. Or maybe he’s just enjoying a change of scenery - we do often have kestrels in the fields around the village. This kestrel is not the only interesting falcon lately, as a Hobby, being mobbed by the local House Martins, flew over during the weekend. Whether a hobby, sparrowhawk or indeed this kestrel, which had attracted the attention of some starlings, it’s the alarm calls of smaller birds that first alert you they are around.

#589 Kestrel (Falco subbuteo)

Interlopers in the Moth Trap

Last week there was more diversity in the light trap, and actually not so many moths. There were three ground beetles, two of which were of the type pictured, which I believe (based on the shape of the pronuptum) is Ophonus rufibarbis - this genus of beetle is apparently quite often attracted to light. I’m not sure if was the beetles (which are predators) or some ants that also got into the trap, but all that was left of this mayfly was its rather beautiful wings. From the pattern on the wings, these are all that’s left of a Green Drake Mayfly (Ephemera danica), though I would like to catch another sometime so I can see the whole creature.

Heterotoma planicornis (#639)

I’m liking this funny looking small bug with its enlarged antennae and bright green legs, which was running to hide on the underside of the dogwood leaf as I tried to get a photo. It goes by the name Heterotoma planicornis, and lives on smaller insects and plant buds, often apparently on stinging nettles. It’s not rare, but it is small and a bit shy, and a new species for the garden..

Heterotoma planicornis (#639)

Scarlet Tigers

There are many Scarlet Tiger moths (Callimorpha dominula) around at the moment, flying around in the late afternoon and evening, or resting up during the day. They are so numerous here, that it’s surprising to see that their distribution in UK is rather restricted to the south and west of the country. The caterpillars like Comfrey, but I also find them on the Green Alkanet in the garden.

There were 8 or so Scarlet Tigers around the moth trap the other morning, plus a few other species like this Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) and a bunch of “micro” moths, including an Ermine (Yponomeuta sp. several species are too similar to ID in the field), Grey Tortrix (Cnephasia sp. ditto), Bramble Shoot Moth (Notocelia uddmanniana) and Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella). Codling Moth is a nuisance in orchards, as its larvae tunnel into the core of the apple, leaving a “maggoty apple” with a dirty brown tunnel through the fruit.

#81 Scarlet Tiger (Callimorpha dominula)

#632 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata)

From top left, clockwise: Ermine sp (#635), Grey Tortrix (#634), , Bramble Shoot Moth (#609), Codling Moth (#633)

Wolf's Milk

I’m a bit frustrated with this one, as last week some alien looking pink/orange blobs looking like melted plastic appeared on a stump of dead wood. They didn’t look right for Coral Spot Fungus, at >1 cm across too big for sure, but thinking I had time I didn’t get a decent photo or check it out properly, and a couple of days later when I had time the orange was gone replaced by these brown spheres. After due research, it turns out that my fungus was in fact a slime mould, Wolf’s Milk (Lycogala terrestre), which is found on dead timber mostly from June through to November. It is sometimes called Toothpaste Slime, because when you puncture the orange blob fruiting body and squeeze a little toothpaste-like orange slime comes out; something I also missed the the opportunity to try…

#626 Wolf's Milk Slime Mould (Lycogala terrestre)

Moth Trap Update

Caught a few new moths earlier in the week. The Buff Tip (Phalera bucephala) is not new, but I like them a lot, so I thought I’d include this photo of one trying hard to be a birch twig in the morning sun. The Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) with its yellow edges was new, as was my third type of wainscot moth, the Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura). Finally, all the Riband Waves (Idaea aversata) I have seen or caught so until now have been mostly pale, so it was nice to catch this one that actually had a dark “riband” across the wings.

#612 Buff Tip (Phalera bucephala)

#625 Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura)

#629 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola)

#132 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)

Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus, #631)

I’m really delighted to record my first Hedgehog in the garden. Maybe it’s a relatively young one as it does not seem that big, and it was a surprise to see it out and about in the mid afternoon. It has found a nice place to rest up during the day in a huge pile of leaves behind a dense clump of bamboo, so I’m hoping it will stick around. There should be plenty enough for it to eat around the garden, but we will put some water out for it and maybe some food if we can find a way to stop our cat from eating it first.

Other mammals putting on a show yesterday evening were our resident bats; they are pipistrelles, but I’ll need to buy or borrow a bat detector to be sure exactly which species..

#631 Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

Plagiognathus arbustorum, #628

Several of these small green Mirid bugs turned up on newly emerging globe thistle flowers. They are common bugs all over UK, but these are the first of this species I found in the garden. This species prefers low vegetation such as nettles and thistles, and is identified by its black & green colour and, if you look closely enough, black stripes on the hind femur. The other insect is also a bug, but in this case a nymph of Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina), which I found in my mini wild-flower meadow.

#628 Plagiognathus arbustorum

#350 Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina) nymph

Gooseberry Sawfly (Nematus ribesii, #624)

I guess it’s one of the good things about a garden nature list that when you find some disastrous garden pest instead of throwing your hands up in horror like most gardeners, you just think it’s cool to add a new species to the list. Case in point is this Gooseberry Sawfly larva, found while I was cutting back the gooseberry bush (where anyhow gooseberry mildew had destroyed most of the crop). These larvae are quite pretty really, but in a bad infestation they will literally strip all the leaves off a gooseberry bush, and then move on to do the red currents. These sawflies have up to 3 generations in one year, so I might be less relaxed about it by the end of the summer.

#624 Gooseberry Sawfly - Nematus ribesii

Trio of New Moths

No rain last night, so the moth trap was out and catching a fair number of moths, the Heart & Dart being the most numerous, with a couple each of Vine’s Rustic and Uncertain moths. With these there were three new species: a Bright-line Brown-eye (Lacanobia oleracea), a twig-like Flame moth ( Axylia putris) and a Barred Straw (Gandaritis pyraliata). The Barred Straw is an unusual looking moth as it rests with its fore-wings completely covering its hind-wings, and in this case fluttered off before (unfortunately) I could get a better photo.

#619 Bright-line Brown-eye - Lacanobia oleracea

#620 Flame - Axylia putris

#621 Barred Straw - Gandaritis pyraliata