24 Sunday Apr 2022
Posted in flowers, insects, wildflowers
I’ve said it before, I’ll probably say it again: Dandelions are an essential source of nectar and pollen for all kinds of insects, particularly those that emerge in early Spring when few other plants are in flower. So, on this International Dandelion Day, a plea to you all – PLEASE don’t cut, kill or otherwise damage your Dandelions!
23 Saturday Apr 2022
Posted in insects
Tiny piles of dirt have been catching my eye again, this time in the fields at Cosmeston. I wasn’t entirely sure about my identification of these but my records have now been confirmed. Meet Lasius flavus, the Yellow meadow ant.
You may have it living in your garden, pushing up piles of soil in your lawn, very good for soil aeration. I can’t help but wonder whether these tiny beasties are the source of the saying ‘ants in your pants’, as I can imagine that if you happen to sit on one of their nests in a meadow, the annoyed ants might well infiltrate your underwear in order to move you along.
21 Thursday Apr 2022
Posted in insects
My first craneflies of the year were these, now confirmed by the helpful Cranefly Recording Scheme folks as Tipula varipennis, described as the ‘typical spring fly of the woodland’. There were several individuals but only this pair, who were otherwise engaged, stayed still long enough for a photo.
19 Tuesday Apr 2022
Tags
British shieldbugs, gorse, Gorse flowers, Gorse shieldbug, Gorse shieldbug eggs, Piezodorus lituratus
The sunshine yellow flowers of gorse always draw my eye and I can seldom resist a quick sniff of their delicious scent (does gorse smell of coconuts or do coconuts smell like gorse?). This time, as I drew close to the flowers, I noticed a Gorse shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus) enjoying the Spring sunshine.
And then, of course, I had to have a quick search for more. I didn’t spot any further adult bugs but I did find two lots of their distinctive black-and-white barrel-shaped eggs. Apparently, the eggs hatch within a week so I’ll have to revisit this plant soon to see if I can find the nymphs.
18 Monday Apr 2022
Posted in insects
Apart from Colin, the Angle shades moth I reared from a caterpillar, this tiny beauty was my first moth of the year. This is Pyrausta purpuralis, also known as Common purple & gold, one of two quite similar Purple & gold species, though P. purpuralis can be identified by the extra yellow spot on its hindwings. I was surprised to read that the larval plants for these wee moths are Corn mint and Thyme, neither of which plant I recall having seen at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park though the moths are quite common there. I’ll need to investigate further.
16 Saturday Apr 2022
Posted in insects
Our warm sunny Easter weekend weather is bringing out the butterflies again. During yesterday’s long walk I saw Speckled wood, Peacock, Holly Blue, Brimstone, Comma, Small white, and, my very first Orange-tips, my eighth species of the year, both males and this beautiful female.
13 Wednesday Apr 2022
Isn’t it lovely to see ladybirds again? There were at least eight 7-spot ladybirds on these freshly sprouted Nettle plants, possibly more mini-beasties hiding under the leaves, but I wasn’t going to get stung looking for them.
12 Tuesday Apr 2022
Posted in insects
S was for a sunny Sunday saunter and a superb surprise Slow-worm and this stunning Speckled wood,
My first two Speckled woods of the year appeared during a walk on 23 March and then another three graced a local walk on 28 March but I hadn’t seen any more until this little beauty fluttered up from a bush on Sunday. After our week of glorious warm weather in March, it’s been mostly cold and wet and windy so the butterflies have disappeared again.
09 Saturday Apr 2022
Posted in insects
Much to my surprise, a Small tortoiseshell was the very first butterfly I saw this year, back on 27 February, and there have been 11 more that have blessed me with their presence so far. The February date was earlier than usual for me – I don’t normally see Small tortoiseshells until mid to late March. These particular butterflies have not fared well in Britain in recent decades so I’m hoping the good numbers I’ve seen so far augur well for the rest of the year, and for their population numbers in general.
07 Thursday Apr 2022
Woot! This teeny tiny beastie is my first weevil of 2022, as you can probably guess from the yellow flower it’s sitting on, a Gorse weevil (Exapion ulicis). I’ve read that they usually feed by poking their snout (properly known as a rostrum) into gorse stems and seeds but this one had its snout so firmly inserted into the flower that it looked like it would almost tip over.
earthstar 
You must be logged in to post a comment.