Mining Bees
/Nice to have some bees about. On the left Chocolate Mining Bee (Andrena scotica) and on the right Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria). Late April is about the best time for both these common mining bee species.
Pinion-spotted Pug (Eupithecia insigniata)
/Finally, the first outing this your for my moth trap. The star of the show was a Pinion-spotted Pug (Eupithecia insigniata, #982), top left. This is not a common moth, usually only a few caught per year in Glos, so the most unusual moth I’ve caught in a while and a great start for the year. Otherwise there were not many moths flying, but a Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) is always welcome. The small grey cranefly, maybe a Monophilus species, was likely a new species, but not sure if I’ll ever confirm any ID for it.
Blistered Cup (Peziza vesiculosa)
/This fungus is normally associated with manure and compost, but in this case is growing in a gap between very rotten wooden planks behind a shed. These fungi can grow to 10cm diameter and are found throughout the year, but are commonest in late winter.
#981 Blistered Cup (Peziza vesiculosa)
Winter to Spring
/The first plum blossom and wild flowers are appearing in the garden. Bird-wise, this week I saw a first chiffchaff, while list week the winter shift was still around in the shape of a visiting male brambling. Spring comes early this year.
First Butterfly this Spring
/My first butterfly of 2024, a Comma (Polygonia c-album) catching some spring sunshine in the outdoor plant section of my local B&Q DIY centre at Evesham. Usually my first butterfly of the spring is a Small Tortoiseshell or a Brimstone, but adult Commas do hibernate, even if they normally first wake up in late March or April.
An Irish Slug
/Irish Yellow Slug or Green Cellar Slug is a common garden species, often found - like in this case - under rotting logs. Originally native to Crimea and the Black Sea area it is believed introduced to Ireland in the 17th century and then on to UK is 20th century. In the UK, Limacus maculatus seems to be replacing the Yellow Cellar Slug (Limacus flavus), itself a 17th century import to UK from Eastern Europe, across much of its range.
#980 Irish Yellow Slug (Limacus maculatus)
Netted Crust (Byssomerulius corium, #979)
/This blob of what looks like old chewing gum on a dead Buddleia branch, is I believe Netted Crust (Byssomerulius corium), a new species for the garden. This fungus is found all year round on dead wood - usually deciduous/ The white spots on another piece of dead wood, this time from my Corkscrew Willow, are some kind of slime mould.
Egyptian Locust (Anacridium aegyptium)
/I’m currently over in France. and came across this enormous grasshopper in the yard, hiding out on some old fence materials. Female Egyptian Locusts can grow up to 7cm in length and apart from their size can be recognised by their odd striped eyes. They can be found year-round here, over-wintering as adults; but they do occasionally turn up in UK either as accidental escapes or potentially wind-blown vagrants.
Autumn Fungi @ Kemerton #2
/Eight fungi and a slime mould from a guided walk at Kemerton Lake this weekend. Several fungi I never saw, or managed to identify, before. Now I just need some to pop up in the garden, where I’ve barely seen any fungi this year - it’s certainly damp enough…
Cleeve Hill Fungi
/Some spectacular fungi up on Cleeve Hill on the Cotswold scarp last weekend; they were everywhere. Still a few I didn’t identify yet.
Phaonia subventa (#976)
/This is a new fly for the garden, from the genus Phaonia. These are medium-sized flies with a yellow abdomen, black body and bulge in the fore edge of the wing. They can be seen from early Spring through to November, with their larvae overwintering in rotting vegetation. Identification at species level is based on details of bristles on the legs and thorax, but I believe this one is P. subventa.
The Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx, #975)
/Only two moths came to the light yesterday; probably one of last times my moth trap will be out this year. A lone Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) in the trap and a Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx) - a new species for me - on the wall nearby. The Sprawler is a late-flying moth, on the wing from October to December, but peaking around now. It’s a woodland species whose caterpillars rears up its spiny head when threatened, giving the moth its name.
More Leaf Mines
/Here are a couple more leaf mines, this time both are from flies. Phytomyza angelicastri is a leaf-miner found on wild angelica and also, as in this case, on Ground Elder. This is the first mine I’ve noticed here on Ground Elder, and is a new species for the garden. The similar-looking mine (but more “random” in direction) on Aquilegia (Columbine) is from Phytomyza minuscula. Many of these miners are very specific which leaves they will go for.
Leaf-mines on Corkscrew Willow
/The first two leaf-mines are from the larvae of a Sallow Pygmy moth (Stigmella salicis, #973). These moths have two generations in the Spring and Summer and the twisting mines from the second generation are seen right through to November. The mine doubles back to create a blotch and the frass makes a broken line in the centre of the mine.
The second pair of mines are from the larvae of a weevil Isochnus sequensi (#680), which leaves these dark, blotchy mines. The larva by the second mine is that of a Syrphus hoverfly, which is a predator mostly of aphids and but also other insects.
Autumn Fungi @ Kemerton
/Some fine fungi, but sadly not in the garden. A local nature reserve at Kemerton is always good for Autumn fungi, and also for otters which I now see on most visits if there are not too many people & dogs around.
#972 Tromatobia lineatoria
/This Ichneumon wasp was hunting around the window frames, presumably for spiders egg sacs, as it lays its eggs on them as food for the larvae. This wasp is seen throughout the summer and autumn.
Pin Mold (Phycomyces sp., #971)
/Spotted these impressive hair-like structures growing out of some organic matter (bird poo probably) on our outdoor table. They are sporophores from a pin mold fungus that’s quietly going about its business of naturally breaking down organic waste in the garden. With the current damp autumn weather it should be good for fungi.
Missing Sector Orb Spinner (Zygiella x-notata)
/I usually clear away some of the nearby spiders webs when I put out the moth trap, but even so there’s often some that get caught and eaten. This Missing Sector Orb Spinner (Zygiella x-notata) has its home in the frame I often put the trap on, and regularly gets a meal of some kind. This species tends to live around houses, mostly outside, making a web that has a 2 sections missing the cross threads.
#362 Missing Sector Orb Spinner (Zygiella x-notata)
Leylandii: What is it Good For?
/Well, it turns out that my neighbour’s not very attractive (IMO) non-native Thuja hedge is good for these two non-native Mediterranean moths! Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri, #763) was first observed in UK in 1951 and is now established over most of lowland UK. It flies in one generation Sept-Nov; this being the first one I’ve recorded. Cypress Carpet (Thera cupressata) arrived in 1984 and so far its main range in UK only extends as far North as Birmingham. If has two generations, one in May-June and another in August-September.
Hoverfly: Syrphus ribesii
/This Syrphus ribesii was making a nice colourful shot on one of the relatively few flowers left in the garden. It’s a common enough hoverfly, seen right through the autumn until the cold weather hits.
#484 Syrphus ribesii