This bug with its distinctive large/flat antenna segment lives in low vegetation such as nettles and eats plant matter, but also small insects like mites and aphids. Heterotoma planicornis hatches in May and lives for one season, over-wintering as an egg. It is quite common all across England and has also been introduced to North America and New Zealand.
As well as the hawk-moths I posted earlier, there was a good selection of other moths including Brown Rustic and Hook-streak Grass Veneer, both of which were new ones for my garden. In total 52 moths of 25 different species. Some of the highlights below…
While looking at bugs I noticed that one of the Feverfew flowers (lower centre in the photo) is fasciated. This mutation, which in this case elongates the flower, can be genetic or caused by an insect-borne infection. While I have found a few other cases of similar mutations in Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) flowers on the internet, there’s no additional information on what causes this particular mutation.
Three Elephant Hawk-moths in the moth trap and a fabulous Privet Hawk-moth on the fence nearby were the highlights from last night. Privet hawk-moth was a new species for the garden.
I don’t get many dragonflies in the garden, so it’s always good to snap one - often a bit of a challenge using a phone. Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) is not so heavily tied to water as most species, so turns up here from time to time. This one is catching some evening sun on my potato plants.
There’s also a Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) zipping around the garden this evening; another of the more regular dragonflies I get. But there’s not much hope of capturing that on my phone.
This one is doing no harm, looking for pollen on a flower, but the Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci, #871) is not something you want too much in your house. In the natural habitat the adults lay their eggs in birds nests and similar dry places with a supply of suitable food: animal and plant fibres, dead insects, dry druit, etc for the hatched larvae. In the house they can infest carpets, ventilation systems and cupboards storing food or clothes to the point they can do serious damage if not spotted first.
This field poppy sprouted up on the edge of one of the borders, adding a nice splash of colour for a day or two. Mostly we get self-seeded yellow welsh poppies and ornamental “opium” poppies, so it was a change to find one of the traditional native red ones!
The moth trap was quite well filled the other morning; moth numbers starting to build. The only new moth was a Clouded Brindle (Apamea epomidion), a single-generation moth that flies between May-July, and apparently does not come to light that frequently. Aside from this there was quite a nice selection of other moths, plus a shiny Whirligig Beetle (presumed Gyrinus substriatus). These beetles are usually found spinning around on the surface of ponds, but they do fly between water sources and can be attracted to light.
This large fungus was growing off a hidden tree root right in the middle of the path at my local nature reserve. It is a Dryad’s Saddle (Polyporus squamosus). The fruiting body of these fungi is always on the dead wood of a deciduous tree, either up a tree stump or growing out of a tree root just underground, like this one. They appears quite early in the season, in late spring to summer, but quickly decay and are eaten by fly larvae.
When you catch the adults in the moth trap there are a few species of Ermine Moth that are virtually indistinguishable from each other, but you can reliably tell the species apart by the host for their caterpillars. One of my Apple trees has a few tents/cocoons of these Apple Ermine Moth caterpillars (Yponomeuta malinellus). There are not too many of them and apparently they are relatively harmless to the tree or the fruit, so I’m happy to leave the caterpillars undisturbed.
This Red Clover came up in the paving close to the back door, and is new species for the garden (#866). Maybe I’ll try to move it to my lawn instead, where we already have plenty of the white version. It might feel at home in my (very small) “wild meadow” and I’m sure the bees will like it.
Not wholly welcome, but one of the apple trees has a minor infestation of these Woolly Aphids (Eriosoma lanigerum). At first I thought it was mildew, but inside the while sticky wool there are lots of dark-coloured aphids. The colony was attended by some Harlequin Ladybirds, so hopefully natural predation can keep the aphid population under control.
This Cranefly, Tipula fascipennis (#867) is a species flying in May-June. It has a rather plain, black-tipped body, and on this photo it doesn’t show that well, but if you look closely enough there is a pattern of dark & opaque white towards the tip of the wings. Along with many craneflies its larvae live in damp grass / turf.
It looks like it might be a bit wet for the rest of the weekend, but last night was dry and there were a few moths in the trap this morning. Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria) was a new species, while this Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) was a well marked individual. Nothing red, white & blue though!
This chubby fly with pale spotted dark wings is signal fly, Platystoma seminationis. It comes to flowers, but in this case was walking slowly over the leaves of a sunflower plant.
This rather pretty white flower that popped up under a bench out the front of the house is White Comfrey. Another new plant for the list. It’s actually not that common; unlike its purple relative Common Comfrey which is often grown by veg gardeners to make liquid fertilizer. White Comfrey is another non-native plant that has become naturalised across much of England.
This Shepherds Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris, #859) popped up in the earth floor of the greenhouse. It’s a common enough weed, but this is the first time I found it in our garden - one of a handful of new plants I’ve found this Spring. It is considered a non-native plant in UK, introduced from Asia Minor / Eastern Europe in ancient times. As a member of the brassica family it is also edible, and even cultivated as a crop in parts of Asia.
This small brown Lacewing Fly came in through the window the other day. It’s certainly a new species for the list and based on the wing markings I believe it’s Hemerobius micans (#858). It’s a common enough species in UK.
Another beautiful hawk-moth in the trap; this time a Lime Hawk-Moth (Mimas tiliae, #856), a new species for my garden. This moth is fairly common in Southern and Central England, flying in May-June. Its caterpillars live on lime trees, but also birch, alder and elm.
This prettily marked small moth is also a new catch. The Small Phoenix has two generations in the spring and the summer, its caterpillars eating willowherbs. Where else would you expect to find a phoenix than in a clump of fireweed?
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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