Horse chestnut leafminer

18 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, nature, trees

Tags

Cameraria ohridella, Horse chestnut leaf-mining moth, Horse chestnut tree, leaf mines, leaf-mining larvae, leafminer, moth larvae, moths

You may well have noticed that many (most?) of the Horse chestnut trees around you are starting to look a bit manky. Their leaves have become covered in white and brown blotches.

180718 Horse chestnut leafminer (4)

Those blotches are actually leaf mines, home to the larvae of Cameraria ohridella, the Horse chestnut leaf-mining moth (the brown blobs in the mines). According to the UK moths website

This species was discovered near Macedonia in 1985, and since then has spread rapidly to other countries in Europe. It was first discovered in Britain at Wimbledon in south-west London in 2002, but possibly had arrived the previous year, as it was quite plentiful. It is thought that the species may be expanding partially due to accidental transportation by man, either by road or rail. It has now been found quite extensively in the south-east of England.

Obviously, since that website entry was written, the moths have now spread from south-east England to south Wales and, indeed, to parts much further north. You’re mostly likely to see the blotches between June and September and, though you might not like the look of them, they’re not thought to inflict any permanent damage on the tree because, of course, the leaves are shed in the autumn anyway.

180718 Horse chestnut leafminer (1)

The Spotted longhorns

17 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British beetles, British insects, Longhorn beetles, longhorns, Rutpela maculata, Spotted longhorn beetle

I’ve been seeing quite a few of these handsome mini-beasties recently, the Spotted longhorn beetles (Rutpela maculata).

180717 Spotted longhorn beetle (1)

Though the pattern of their black-and-yellow markings can vary a bit, they’re really quite unmistakeable.

180717 Spotted longhorn beetle (2)

They’re large beetles and look quite fierce, but they’re harmless.

Spotted longhorns are most often found feasting on the pollen of the umbellifer and other flowers that grow in hedgerows and alongside woodland paths.

180717 Spotted longhorn beetle (5)

Their larvae overwinter in rotten wood, then emerge as adults in late Spring, so these lovely longhorns can be seen from May through till around the end of August.

Some recent moths

16 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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Blood-vein, British moths, Burnet companion, Common purple & gold, Glyphipterix thrasonella, moths, Orange-spot piercer, Riband wave, Riband wave banded form, Scarlet tiger

Though they seem to have disappeared now, the Burnet companions (Euclidia glyphica) were out in force at Cosmeston for about six weeks, from the last day of May until early July.

180716 1 Burnet companion

The Common purple & gold (Pyrausta purpuralis) is a tiny but very colourful moth – a rich maroon-purple base with pretty gold markings.

180716 2 Pyrausta purpuralis

With a thin red line running horizontally from one wing tip to the other, it’s easy to see how the Blood-vein (Timandra comae) got its name.

180716 3 Blood-vein

Glyphipterix thrasonella (no common name) is another very small moth, as you can tell from its size relative to my fingers, and is another with attractive markings, this time bright light blue on a gold base.

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In Bute Park recently I spotted two different species of moth. The first was this tiny micro on Hogweed, an Orange-spot piercer (Pammene aurana).

180716 5 Orange-spot piercer

I didn’t have to try hard to see the second moth as it fluttered down from a tree on to the earth in front of me. This is a Riband wave (Idaea aversata).

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And, while we’re on the subject of Riband waves, here’s another but this is the banded form – note how the area between the two lines on its wings has been ‘coloured in’.

180716 7 Riband wave banded form

Last but certainly not least is this stunning Scarlet tiger (Callimorpha dominula), which was sitting on the grassy path in front of me during a recent meander around Lavernock Nature Reserve.

180716 8 Scarlet tiger

One smart critter

14 Saturday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British insects, Oedemera nobilis, Swollen-thighed beetle, wildflowers

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The Swollen-thighed beetle (Oedemera nobilis) is very easy going when it comes to what nectar or pollen it eats. Judging by the number of different flowers I’ve seen it on, my conclusion is that it will slurp and snack almost anywhere, and this would seem to be a very good tactic for its future survival because the more specific the dietary requirements of an insect, the greater the chance it will suffer from changes to its environment and food plants. Being a generalist makes the Swollen-thighed beetle one smart critter!

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Birding at Peterston & Pendoylan Moors

12 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in animals, birds, insects, nature, walks

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, British butterflies, butterflies, Cinnabar caterpillars, Comma, Cows, Glamorgan Bird Club, Green-veined white, Meadow Brown, Peacock, Red fox, Red kite, River Ely, Sand martin, Small tortoiseshell, Stock dove

Yesterday I enjoyed another wonderful, if rather hot day’s birding with my friends from the Glamorgan Bird Club, this time wandering a trail alongside the River Ely near Peterston-super-Ely and Pendoylan.

180711 2 red kites

On the way there, my friend John and I had incredibly close views of three Red kites and more of these magnificent birds of prey were gliding overhead during our walk.

180711 1 stock dove

We saw Stock doves (one pictured above) sitting obligingly close to Woodpigeons so we could see the differences in the two species.

180711 2 red fox

A Red fox was spotted trotting along in a distant field, its lunch in its mouth.

180711 4 meeting the locals

A large herd of large cows moved reluctantly away from the river so we could pass by. You’d have to be crazy to mess with this lady, who was keeping a steady eye on us in case we ventured too close to her calves.

180711 5 participants

The fifteen participants … well, fourteen really, as I was taking the photo.

180711 6 river ely

The meandering River Ely was running low due to the recent drought conditions here in south Wales.

As well as birds, we also saw lots of butterflies, including these: Cinnabar caterpillars, Comma, Green-veined white, Meadow brown, Peacock, and more Small tortoiseshell than I’ve ever seen in one day before.

180711 7 sandmartins

The highlight of the day for me was watching these Sand martins hawking for food over the fields and then returning to their burrows in the river bank to feed their hungry young. Magic!

Six-spots love Ragwort

10 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British moths, Burnet moths, moths on ragwort, Ragwort, Six-spot burnet

Self-evident, really. Nom, nom, nom!

180712 Six-spot burnet moths on ragwort(2)

180712 Six-spot burnet moths on ragwort(1)

180712 Six-spot burnet moths on ragwort(3)

180712 Six-spot burnet moths on ragwort(5)

180712 Six-spot burnet moths on ragwort(6)

180712 Six-spot burnet moths on ragwort(4)

Hogweed bonking beetle

09 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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bonking beetle, British beetles, British insects, Common red soldier beetle, Hogweed bonking beetle, Rhagonycha fulva, soldier beetle

180712 hogweed bonking beetle (1).jpg

Officially, this is Rhagonycha fulva, the Common red soldier beetle, but I think you can see why it is known throughout Britain as the Hogweed bonking beetle. Out now on a Hogweed near you!

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Aberbargoed Grasslands revisited

06 Friday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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Aberbargoed Grasslands, British butterflies, British moths, Burnet companion, butterflies, Common purple & gold, Large skipper, moths, Riband wave, Ringlet, Silver Y, Small heath, Small skipper

On Wednesday I made my second visit to Aberbargoed Grasslands National Nature Reserve with my friend Sharon. Last time we dipped on seeing the Marsh fritillaries because it was too overcast; this time, we dipped again because the recent spell of hot dry weather has meant their season has finished for the year. Still, we have now walked most of the paths around the reserve so we’ll know exactly where to look next year. And, though we missed out the fritillaries, there were still plenty of other butterflies and moths to charm and delight us.

Small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)

Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)

Small skipper (Lycaena phlaeas)

Large skipper (Lycaena dispar)

Burnet companion (Euclidia glyphica)

Common purple & gold (Pyraustra purpuralis)

Riband wave (Idaea aversata)

Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

A Common footman

04 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British moths, Common footman, Eilema lurideola, moth, moths

Moths have some wonderful names. I mean, you’ve got to wonder why one little group is named after a domestic servant. As well as this one, the Common footman, there are also Buff, Orange, Scarce, Dingy, Northern, Pigmy, and Hoary footmen, all members of the Eilema group of moths.

180703 common footman (1)

I spotted this little chap, Eilema lurideola, floundering around in the grass at Cosmeston recently. It might well be an elegant flier but it was having a great deal of trouble climbing up stalks of grass.

The Gatekeeper

03 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British butterflies, butterfly, Gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus

I saw my first Gatekeeper of the year on Saturday and was curious about its name. The consensus seems to be that the common name comes from this butterfly’s tendency to frequent those areas of rough grassland adjacent to hedgerows and field edges, like, for example, the areas around farm gates. Makes sense.

180702 gatekeeper (1)

Its scientific name, Pyronia tithonus, is a little less obvious. Pyronia is derived from the Greek πυρ (pyr) meaning fire, presumably a reference to the bright blazing orange on the butterfly’s wings, but the epithet is odd. Tithonus was a figure in Greek mythology, a member of the Trojan royal family who was kidnapped and loved by Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Wanting to keep her lover with her always, Eos asked Zeus to grant him immortality but forgot to ask for eternal youth, so Tithonus was doomed to grow old and remain old forever. Perhaps this tale held some special meaning for Hubner, the man who classified this genus, but I haven’t been able to discover what that was.

180702 gatekeeper (2)