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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: Hedge woundwort

Leafmines: Cephalomyza labiatarum

26 Monday Aug 2024

Posted by sconzani in insects, wildflowers

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Tags

Amauromyza labiatarum, British leafmines, Cephalomyza labiatarum, fly mines on Hedge woundwort, Hedge woundwort, leaf-mining fly, Stachys sylvatica

Since I read earlier in the year about the larvae of one of the case-bearing moths living on Hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), I’ve been checking those plants whenever I see them. I’ve not yet found the Coleophora species but, a week or so ago, I did find some leafmines I’d never seen before. These are the larval mines of the fly Cephalomyza (formerly Amauromyza) labiatarum and they can, in fact, be found on a very wide range of plants (the Agromyzidae Recording Scheme website lists the following species: Ajuga, Ballota, Galeopsis, Glechoma, Lallemantia, Lamiastrum, Lamium, Leonurus, Lycopsis, Marrubiam, Melissa, Mentha, Prunella, Satureja, Scutellaris, Stachys, Teucrium, and Verbena). As you can hopefully see from my photos, the larva’s initial feeding creates a long thin line, which later becomes a large blotch mine. You can see more images on the Agromyzidae RS site referenced above and on the British Leafminers website.

240826 Cephalomyza labiatarum

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A colony of Woundwort shieldbugs

11 Tuesday Jun 2024

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

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Tags

British shieldbugs, Eysarcoris venustissimus, Hedge woundwort, Stachys sylvatica, Woundwort shieldbug

I was actually checking the Hedge woundwort plants growing alongside our local coastal path for leaf-mining moths (of which there were none) when I spotted first one Woundwort shieldbug, then another, and another, and then two mating.

240611 woundwort shieldbugs (3)

In fact, I eventually counted eight, which is more than I’ve ever seen in one spot before. Hopefully, this means their numbers are increasing generally as they are very handsome little bugs.

240611 woundwort shieldbugs (2)

As well as feeding on Hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), the Woundwort shieldbug (Eysarcoris venustissimus) is also partial to the Lamiaceae species of plants, especially White dead-nettle (Lamium album).

240611 woundwort shieldbugs (1)

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289/365 Hedge woundwort

16 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by sconzani in autumn, flowers, insects, nature, plants

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

autumn wildflowers, flower bug, Hedge woundwort, south Wales coastal path, wildflowers in bloom

Determined to make the most of a few hours of sunlight yesterday, I headed along the south Wales coastal path to see what I could find, taking just my small camera as more rain was forecast.

191016 hedge woundwort (1)

Vegetation along the path had been severely cut back since my last walk that way, which meant that wildflowers were few and far between, though I did find a few plants of Hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica) still flowering.

191016 hedge woundwort (2)

And while trying to get some close-ups of the flowers, I had the distinct feeling I was being watched. A tiny, early instar flower bug (not sure which species) was sitting atop one of the flowers and, as if curious, it pranced across from the further flower to the nearer to see what I was doing. Cute!

191016 hedge woundwort (3)

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Summer wildflowers

10 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Common comfrey, Common honeysuckle, Cornflower, Field bindweed, Fox and cubs, Hedge woundwort, Lesser stitchwort, Ox-eye daisy, Ragwort, White clover, Wood forget-me-not, Yellow loosestrife

As the summer progresses so, too, do the varieties of wildflowers that add colour to the roadside verges, beautify patches of waste ground, light up drab spots along hedgerows, adorn the edges of the trails I regularly walk, and sparkle in the conservation areas at my local cemetery.

These are some that have caught my eye in the past couple of weeks: Fox-and-Cubs (Pilosella aurantiaca), Yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris), Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), Wood forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), Hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), White clover (Trifolium repens), Common comfrey (Symphytum officinale), Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), Common honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), and the last, I think, is Lesser stitchwort (Stellaria graminea).





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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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