Leafhopper: Populicerus sp.

28 Monday Aug 2023

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British cicadellidae, British leafhoppers, leafhopper, leafhopper on Poplar, Poplar, Populicerus sp.

I found a new leafhopper species last week but, despite it having quite distinctive markings, I have not been able to identify it exactly. This is because there are several that look very similar and, even knowing the tree or plant they are on (in this case, Poplar), doesn’t help. One needs to examine their genitals to figure these little leafhoppers out.

230828 Populicerus sp (1)

There are five species of Populicerus showing in the Welsh database (Populicerus confusus, P. populi, P. albicans, P. nitidissimus, and P. laminatus), only four of which have been recorded in Wales (the first four in my list) and, of those, the numbers, except for P. confusus (64) are in single digits. That is likely to be a reflection of the difficulty of identifying the species rather than the populations of these leafhoppers.

230828 Populicerus sp (2)

All five species have similar markings but three have different colouring. However, Populicerus populi and P. laminatus are so similar that they require more intimate examination – the creature I found, the leafhopper shown here, is one of these two.

Nematus septentrionalis

23 Wednesday Aug 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects, trees

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Birch, British sawflies, Nematus septentrionalis, sawfly eggs, sawfly larvae, sawfly larvae on Birch, sawfly on Birch

The sawfly larvae are back!

You may remember my post last summer (Sawfly larvae on Birch, July 2022) about the black-spotted yellow-and-green larvae of the sawfly Nematus septentrionalis that were munching through the leaves of a local Birch sapling. Well, luckily, the sapling survived but it’s now providing a feast for this year’s brood of the same sawflies.

This time around I’ve found the larvae at a much earlier stage of development. And, destructive though they may be, they do look rather cute curled up in their individual holes in the leaves, and quite different in colour at this young age.

Plus, this time I spotted the eggs they emerged from – and some eggs yet to hatch, laid by the adult sawfly along the veins of the leaves.

I may sound a trifle over-enthusiastic about creatures that are basically eating a tree. But, last year, something ate most of the larvae before they consumed too many leaves and, as there are a good number of hungry Stonechats, Whitethroats, Green- and Goldfinches currently in this field, I think the sawfly larvae’s days are probably numbered.

The last dragon

21 Monday Aug 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Aeshna mixta, British dragonflies, British odonata, dragonfly, Migrant hawker

Though I’m still hoping to spot another damselfly species, the Migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) is probably the last of the larger dragonfly species I’ll see this year. I’ve spent many an enjoyable minute or ten watching these beauties flying back and forth along the edges of woodland rides and local pathways, waiting hopefully for them to perch, only to have them fly above the trees and disappear, or stop in a place too distant for photographs. So, I was especially grateful when this hawker proved to be much more cooperative.

230821 migrant hawker

Inside out

17 Thursday Aug 2023

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British craneflies, cranefly, Tipula paludosa

230817 tipula paludosa

This gorgeous creature could be found clinging to the outside of my bedroom window all day Tuesday, in the wind and rain during the morning but, when this photo was taken, enjoying the evening sunshine. I think this is the cranefly, Tipula paludosa.

That tongue!

15 Tuesday Aug 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects

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#MothsMatter, British moths, Hummingbird hawk-moth, moth, Red valerian

In a recent post (Moths matter, 4 August), I included photographs of a stationary Hummingbird hawk-moth that had flown past me before going to ground on the path in front of me. This week, during a walk along the embankment footpath where the River Ely flows in to Cardiff Bay, I watched spellbound as another of these magical moths hovered, feeding from Red valerian flowers, right in front me. I took rather a lot of photos, clicking almost continuously, hoping I was getting some in focus. This, I think, is the best of those images, and one I’m very pleased with. And, yes, that tongue!

230815 hummingbird hawk-moth

A surprise Silver-washed fritillary

14 Monday Aug 2023

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British butterflies, butterfly, fritillaries, Silver-washed fritillary

I’d seen a second generation Dingy skipper; got close enough to a migrating Redstart for some reasonable photos; watched Whin- and Stonechats and a Tree pipit insect-catching in the tree plantation; spotted my first Migrant hawker of the year; and was just heading in to the woodland, hot and homeward bound, feeling very pleased with what the day’s walk had turned up, when this happened.

230814 silver-washed fritillary (1)

As if materialising from thin air, this Silver-washed fritillary floated along the path beside me, before settling on the ground almost at my feet. I was amazed! Singles of these butterflies have very occasionally been spotted in Cosmeston’s Cogan Wood but never before by me, despite my having walked every inch of the various paths that thread their way through the trees. It was the perfect end to a perfect day in Nature!

230814 silver-washed fritillary (2)

Another ichneumon

11 Friday Aug 2023

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British wasps, ichneumon, Ichneumon sarcitorius, Ichneumon wasps

As I mentioned yesterday, I found two ichneumon wasps on neighbouring umbellifers at Cosmeston last week. Their identities haven’t yet been confirmed but I think I’ve got them right, because their characteristics fit exactly the description in the Natural History Museum’s superb downloadable pdf, Beginner’s guide to identifying British ichneumonids. Today’s wasp is, I believe, a male Ichneumon sarcitorius.

230811 Ichneumon sarcitorius male (1)

The guide lists this ichneumon’s characteristics as follows:

Another of the medium to large (female=10mm, male=14mm) black-and-yellow or black-and-red species. The size, shape and precise colour patterns are distinctive to this species. … The males [which have black-and-yellow banding] are longer with broad white bands across the abdomen at the hind edges of the segments, with conspicuous indentations on the bands of the second and third segments. The bands on the first and fourth segments are usually broken. Both sexes have hind femora tipped with black.
Habitat: usually seen nectaring on umbellifers or flying through foliage hunting

230811 Ichneumon sarcitorius male (2)

An ichneumon

10 Thursday Aug 2023

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Amblyjoppa fuscipennis, British wasps, ichneumon, Ichneumon wasps

I found two ichneumon wasps on neighbouring umbellifers at Cosmeston last week. Their identities haven’t yet been confirmed but I think I’ve got them right, and I’ll explain why in today’s post and tomorrow’s. Firstly, though, I must acknowledge my source for this – the Natural History Museum has an excellent downloadable pdf, Beginner’s guide to identifying British ichneumonids, which I always find very helpful when trying to identify these lovely wasps.

230810 Amblyjoppa fuscipennis fem (1)

Firstly, I believe this is a female Amblyjoppa fuscipennis, which the guide describes as follows:

A large (16–25mm) and beautiful species with a black head. It has a black thorax with a small cream spot and a bright orange abdomen – quite broad and no other colours on it. Can be confused with Protichneumon pisorius, but where P. pisorius has black tips on the hind tibia and tarsus, these features on A. fuscipennis are entirely orange. Flies from June to August.

230810 Amblyjoppa fuscipennis fem (2)

A festival of orange and brown

08 Tuesday Aug 2023

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British butterflies, butterfly, Comma, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown

Just a little celebration of some of the beautiful butterflies I’m enjoying seeing during my daily meanders. Though some butterfly species are suffering from this year’s weird weather, these three species seem to be doing very well.

230808 1 comma and gatekeeper

A Gatekeeper in front, a Comma behind

230808 2 gatekeeper pair

A pair of Gatekeepers, the female on the left. The male butterfly has prominent sex brands (brown streaks) on its upper wings.

230808 3 gatekeeper meadow brown

A Gatekeeper below, a Meadow brown above

230808 4 meadow brown

A pair of Meadow browns, creating more Meadow browns. The female is on the left.

Nettle groundbugs

07 Monday Aug 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

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British bugs, bugs on nettle, Heterogaster urticae, insects on nettle, Nettle groundbug

Considering how much nettle I see, I’m amazed I’d never seen a Nettle groundbug (Heterogaster urticae) before last Thursday, when I saw heaps, at various stages of growth between egg and adult, all out sunbathing in little groups on nettle leaves. And there are only 114 records in the Welsh database of flora and fauna, which also surprised me.

230807 nettle groundbugs (1)

They’re actually very attractive little bugs, rather hairy, with quite diverse markings in their different instars. The British Bugs website reports that they overwinter as adults so, in theory, we should be able to see them all year round. The website also says that, when they mate, the male and female ‘may remain coupled together for several days’ – nothing like making sure they’ve succeeded, I guess.

230807 nettle groundbugs (2)