The return of Zorro

14 Saturday May 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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Aproceros leucopoda, Elm zigzag sawfly, sawfly larvae, sawfly on Wych elm, Wych elm

If you’ve been following along here for a while, you might remember last year’s ‘first for Wales’ find, the distinctive marks on leaves of Wych elm trees of the Elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) (Zorro comes to Wales, October 2021). For the past couple of weeks I’ve been monitoring the trees where I first saw those marks and, yesterday, found them again, with the larvae that create them in situ, happily munching away on the elm leaves. In fact, following a good look around the area, I found larvae on six Wych elm trees (and there were other trees I couldn’t access), and then found a single larva on a Wych elm at Cosmeston, perhaps half a mile away. It will be interesting to see how quickly these creatures spread through the local landscape.

220514 elm zigzag sawfly larvae

White-letter hairstreak larva

26 Tuesday Apr 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, trees

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British butterflies, butterfly larva, larva on Wych elm, White-letter hairstreak, White-letter hairstreak larva, Wych elm

In recent weeks I’ve been searching, unsuccessfully, for the eggs of Purple and White-letter hairstreak butterflies but … during Sunday’s woodland walk I did find this little beauty, my very first White-letter hairstreak larva. I was over the moon!

220426 white-letter hairstreak larva (1)

As you can see, its camouflage is excellent and I know I wouldn’t have spotted it if I hadn’t been looking so closely at the flower and leaf buds of this Wych elm. I couldn’t find any more larvae but I’ll return soon to this site for another look and, hopefully, will be able to re-find and observe this tiny creature as it grows.

220426 white-letter hairstreak larva (2)

Dothidella ulmi

29 Friday Oct 2021

Posted by sconzani in fungi, leaves, nature, trees

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British fungi, Dothidella ulmi, fungi on Wych elm, spots on Wych elm leaves, Wych elm

Fungi come in an amazing variety of forms and colours. Here’s one I found for the first time a week or so ago.

211029 Dothidella ulmi (1)

You’re probably familiar with Sycamore tarspot (Rhytisma acerinum), which makes black spots on the leaves of Sycamore trees. Well, this is superficially similar, though not as widely recorded in Britain: it’s Dothidella ulmi, a fungus that develops under the epidermis of leaves on Elm trees, in this case Wych elm, then erupts in a mass of grey blisters.

211029 Dothidella ulmi (2)

A white-letter day

09 Friday Jul 2021

Posted by sconzani in trees

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British butterflies, butterfly on Wych elm, hairstreaks, Satyrium w-album, White-letter hairstreak, Wych elm

I’m sure you’ve all heard of red-letter days, those days that are of special significance or particularly memorable. Well, for me, yesterday was a red-letter white-letter day – the day when I had my best ever views of the elusive White-letter hairstreak butterfly (Satyrium w-album).

210709 white-letter hairstreak (1)

These beautiful creatures spend most of their time in the tops of Wych elm trees (now that most English elms have died from Dutch elm disease) so my first sighting of them this year was typical – they were flitting around the top of a tree in a local park, far too distant for good views, let alone photos (see above).

210709 white-letter hairstreak (2)

Then, yesterday, I was walking in meadows adjacent to a local woodland, when I spotted this gorgeous White-letter hairstreak nectaring on a thistle right next to the path in front of me. I was able to photograph and watch it for at least 15 minutes before it flew back towards the nearby Wych elm. A white-letter day to treasure!

210709 white-letter hairstreak (3)