These are a selection of bumblebees attracted to garden flowers, especially the thistle, I took eht photos a couple of weeks ago and since then there are many fewer bees around. These, plus the Buff-tailed Bumblebee are the commonest species here, with sometime an Early Bumblebee or two to be seen.
This caddis fly with its humongously long antenna was also in the moth trap. It is found on ponds, canals, lakes and slow rivers - none of which are very close to my house, so it looks like having antennae 3 times longer than its body doesn’t impede its ability to fly.
Three of these wasps came to the moth trap the other night, but there are several species that all look pretty similar, so not something I can identify to species level. They are all parasites mainly of different types of moth, where they lay their eggs on caterpillars which their larvae kill and devour from the inside, emerging in due course as adults.
Here are two new moths caught over the weekend, both species found only in the late summer/early Autumn. The Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) and very similar Svenssons Copper Underwing (Amphipyra berbera) are distinguishable by the marking on the hind wing, but as I didn’t check it this one could be either - I’ll know for next time. Centre-barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago) is found with Ash trees, in one generation in August-September.
A nice collection of moths on Saturday morning, including two new species: Gold Spot (Plusia festucae) and Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea). The gold-coloured marks on the Gold Spot do look distinctly metallic.
This funny-looking green caterpillar dropped out of the willow tree and landed on one of the kids. I believe it is the caterpillar of a Pale Tussock moth (Calliteara pudibunda), but motionless and scrunched up it looks more like a prickly plant seed of some sort.
#740 Pale Tussock Moth caterpillar (Calliteara pudibunda)
I’m happy with this shot of the thick legs of a female Thick-legged Hoverfly (Syritta pipiens, #524) on a Wall Daisy. I was away for most of August, but even so this seems to have been a fairly poor year for hoverflies. There’s certainly not many around the garden at the moment, when usually late summer there’s plenty of drone flies at least.
#524 Thick-legged Hoverfly (Syritta pipiens)
A large Buddleia next-door, plus some nice sunbathing surfaces have brought in quite a few butterflies the last few days. Plenty of Red Admirals, including this rather beaten up one, Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells, Large & Small Whites, the odd Comma and Holly Blue and a single Brimstone. I didn’t add a new butterfly species for a couple of years, but while it would be nice to get something different you can’t help but enjoy watching (and snapping) these superb creatures. Shame the Sun (and most of the butterflies) have disappeared today.
These days I don’t get to find many new plants in the garden, so a clump of Yarrow growing in the lawn is good news. Another weed; hopefully it survives to flower next year, or even to be used as herbal tea.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
After a break, here are some August moths caught this week. A trio of new species included Orange Swift (Triodia sylvina), Rosy Tabby (Endotricha flammealis) and Yellow-barred Brindle (Acasis viretata).
A fine selection of moths captured on Monday morning included a spectacular Poplar Hawk Moth, Sallow Kitten, four new types of “carpet” and many ermine moths including Thistle Ermine. All this brings my count of moth species to over 200.
I saw this Beautiful Demoiselle, the first dragonfly of the year in the garden, then found it dead. Sadly I don’t get many dragonflies at all, and have only recorded 5 species to date. Wish I had space for a better pond.
#204 Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo)
Brown Rot fungus has infected all the plums on my plum tree this year. While there was a lot of blossom on the tree, perhaps a lack of pollinators early in the year meant that there were few fruits. And now these are all lost. The fungus spreads in the fruit, starting from blemishes caused by insect pests, such as Codling Moth.
#803 Brown Rot (Monilinia fructicola)
Some moth trapping this weekend brought my 800 species for the garden. Some of the highlights are shown below. Of the two new macros, the Dusky Sallow is a species from the Cotswolds liking drier calcareous habitats where its caterpillars live on grasses, whereas the Dun-bar is a woodland species needing deciduous trees. Apparently the caterpillars of the Dun-bar are partly carnivorous, augmenting their plant-based diet with caterpillars of other (and even sometimes their own) species.
This caterpillar’s short life was interrupted by something. I thought at first a fungus, but after a bit of research I think the white blobs are actually insect eggs, probably from a parasitic wasp whose larvae are growing up inside the dead caterpillar. Yuck…
This tiny mirid bug is a specialist of stinging nettles, and no surprise was found in a clump of nettles that I left to grow.
#793 Liocoris tripustulatus
This is my first “dagger fly” found in the garden; so-named because of its long beak. These come for nectar, as in this case on the flowers of a bramble, but are also predators. Courtship consists of the males offering prey to females, with the most favoured prey getting the girl. There are a few species, but this one with it’s reddish coloured legs (including the thighs) is I believe one of the commoner ones.
#794 Empis opaca
It’s been pretty poor for hoverflies so far this year, but this week there area lot of Marmalade Hoverflies on flowers around the garden. Hopefully a sign of more species starting to appear. The Golden Rod is soon coming into flower, which is usually a good place to see lots of hoverflies and other insects.
#116 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
There are hardly any butterflies around during the day, but at night I seem to be doing pretty well catching moths. Last night I struck gold with a flashy Burnished Brass, a striking Shaded Broad-bar and a Scarce Footman, among seven new species. It’s not certain if the metallic marks on some moths are to deter or confuse predators, or if it’s just to look good.
This Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) is on its way to the Vale Wildlife Hospital at Beckford. It is an adult bird, but a small one and not in good condition, even I think before the cat brought it in. Luckily it had managed to get away from the cat and didn’t seem too badly hurt, although it was unable to fly. I’m not sure how the cat got it as while there are plenty of jackdaws around, including nesting in the surrounding trees, they rarely come to the ground unless there are scraps there (which there weren’t this morning). The bird seemed in heavy moult, so maybe it was already grounded? Hoping the vets at the hospital can help it recover.
Passionate about nature, based in Gloucestershire UK; this site is about creating a wildlife friendly family garden and exploring the diversity of animal & plant species that share it with us.
As a nature lover and wildlife gardener I started wondering about the biodiversity in my backyard and just how many species from plants to insects to birds to mammals might live in or visit it.
Much of the wildlife in my small, village garden has been present right under my nose for years without my really appreciating it, so on the way I am learning a lot about different species and how to make a wildlife-friendly environment for them; also getting engaged more in conservation activities around Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and the Cotswolds.
My garden species tally started from zero on June 1st 2018, the target was 1000 species, which I eventually hit in June 2024. But there’s still plenty to see and learn about.
I'm very interested in your comments & advice: whether it's about the blog, some help with identification or just how to make my own little Eden better for wildlife. So please leave a comment or drop me a line if you feel like it!
Graham Tompsett
microedenproject@gmail.com
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