Santurtzi, Friday

Some of the wildlife seen on our first bit of shore leave from the Pride of Bilbao.

Graphosoma lineatum


Marbled White Melanargia galathea


Small White Pieris rapae


Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus


Common Blue Polyommatus icarus f. boalensis


Canon Powershot A640

Oncocera semirubella


Mallow Skipper Carcharodus alceae


Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus


Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus


Grey Bush-cricket Platycleis albopunctata


Canon Powershot SX10

Wryneck Jynx torquilla


Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77x20

Pilot Whales, Bay of Biscay

A pod of Long-finned Pilot Whales, some of 70 seen on this Company of Whales trip on the Pride of Bilbao.


Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77x20

Bedford Purlieus north

A lot of dayflying moths about today at the north end of Bedford Purlieus. As well as the ones here there were Silver Y and Straw Dot plus plenty of Common Blue butterflies.

Treble-bar Aplocera plagiata


Small Scallop Idaea emarginata


Brown Argus Aricia agestis



Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus



Canon Powershot SX10

More garden insects

The aphid farming continues in our garden with a increasing variety of hoverflies and other insects visiting to harvest the bounty. 7-spot Ladybirds are now more numerous and a few 14-spots have joined them and the Harlequins.

But it's the hovers that continue to dominate. E. balteatus is still the most abundant but more S. pyrastri about, the first M. florea of the year and only the second ever garden record of Xanthogramma pedisequum, a most striking wasp mimic. I should think there are about 10 different species present at the moment.

Migrant Hawker, Holly Blue, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper were also around today.

Xanthogramma pedisequum


Myathropa florea


Scaevia pyrastri


Eupeodes luniger


14-spot Ladybird Propylea quattuordecimpunctata



Canon Powershot SX10

Volucella inanis

This large hoverfly is now a fairly regular garden visitor.

Volucella inanis

Canon Powershot SX10

Garden insects

The garden is heaving with aphid at the moment and as a consequence masses of insects feeding on the honeydew. The bulk of these are the hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus, which are super abundant, with Common Wasp a poor second but still quite numerous and several Harlequin Ladybirds. There are now increasing numbers of Syrphus and other hoverflies joining in with the odd Scaevia pyrastri mainly on flowers.

Also on flowers are Pyrausta aurata (appropriately known sometimes as Mint Moth) and various bees and wasps.

Episyrphus balteatus


Scaevia pyrastri


Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis
f. spectabilis


f. succinea


Pyrausta aurata



Pollen-laden bee

Buff female Poplar Hawk-moth

Haven't posted many moth pics of late but this rather fetching female Poplar Hawk-moth of the rare buff form had me reaching for the camera and I rattled off a few others while I was at it.

Poplar Hawk-moth Laothoe populi, buff female with male




White Satin Moth Leucoma salicis


Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa

Celypha rosaceana (2nd for garden)


Aspilapteryx tringipennella


Canon Powershot SX10

Full list from last night (36 species):
0294 Aspilapteryx tringipennella 2
0411 Argyresthia goedartella 1
0873 Blastobasis adustella 8
1016x Cnephasia sp. 3
1064 Celypha rosaceana 1
1261 Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella) 1
1293 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 3
1304 Agriphila straminella 19
1305 Agriphila tristella 11
1331 Water Veneer (Acentria ephemerella) 1
1344 Eudonia mercurella 1
1405 Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis) 1
1424 Endotricha flammealis 2
1708 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata) 1
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) 5
1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) 1
1738 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 1
1913 Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos alniaria) 1
1937 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) 1
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 2
2000 Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius) 1
2003 Pebble Prominent (Eligmodonta ziczac) 1
2011 Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) 1
2026 The Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua) 1
2031 White Satin Moth (Leucoma salicis) 1
2044 Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola) 3
2050 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) 1
2064 Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) 1
2087 Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum) 1
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) 2
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 3
2111 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua janthe) 4
2293 Marbled Beauty (Cryphia domestica) 5
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 6
2341 Cloaked Minor (Mesoligia furuncula) 1
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 17

Southern Hawker Ovipositing

Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea, female ovipositing


Canon Powershot SX10

Southern Hawker eating Ladybird

Brown and Southern Hawker feeding in the garden today.

Southern Hawker eating Ladybird


Canon Powershot SX10

Bedford Purlieus Insects

Finally found time to get to Bedford Purlieus for the feast of butterflies on show there. The number of White-letter Hairstreaks was very impressive. Several small Marjoram plants had 8 individuals feeding and there must have been 100 or more along the ride. With at least 6 Silver-washed Fritillaries and a total of 11 species plus other insects like Brown Hawker, Emperor and Common Darter this was a fabulous afternoon.

Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia, female


White-letter Hairstreak Satyrium w-album


Large Skipper Ochlodes faunus


Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
Male


Female


Endotricha flammealis, a pyralid moth


Volucella inanis



Canon Powershot SX10

Peak District Animals

A family weekend in the Peak District with these posing at Monsal Head. The Bank Vole was particularly obliging allowing close approach and feeding while we watched. The mirid bug was abundant on umbelifers.

Grypocoris stysi, a mirid bug


Bank Vole Myodes glareolus



Canon Powershot SX10

The Blackneck

Another fabulous first for the garden. This is a local species only known from about 10% of the 2km squares in Hunts. It is a first for this square.

Other significant records were the second Heart & Club for the garden and only the third Dingy Shears.

The Blackneck Lygephila pastinum


Canon Powershot SX10

300 moths of 60 species
0672 Parsnip Moth (Depressaria pastinacella) 1 (TBC)
0874 Blastobasis lacticolella 1
0937 Agapeta hamana 1
0970 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana) 1
0994 Clepsis consimilana 1
1016x Cnephasia sp. 1
1033 Green Oak Tortrix (Tortrix viridana) 1
1063 Celypha striana 1
1076 Celypha lacunana 1
1083 Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana) 3
1169 Gypsonoma dealbana 1
1293 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) 58
1316 Catoptria falsella 1
1331 Water Veneer (Acentria ephemerella) 1
1334 Scoparia ambigualis 1 (TBC)
1338 Dipleurina lacustrata 5
1344 Eudonia mercurella 1
1392 Udea olivalis 1
1413 Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis) 1
1424 Endotricha flammealis 1
1438 Trachycera suavella 1
1653 Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides) 1
1708 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata) 1
1711 Treble Brown Spot (Idaea trigeminata) 1
1713 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) ab. remutata 5
1738 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) 1
1758 Barred Straw (Eulithis pyraliata) 1
1860 Green Pug (Chloroclystis rectangulata) 1
1862 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) 1
1887 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) 2
1922 Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) 1
1941 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata) 1
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 1
1976 Privet Hawk-moth (Sphinx ligustri) 1
1981 Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) 1
1991 Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) 1
1994 Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) 1
2029 Brown-tail (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) 2
2050 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) 30
2061 Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) 3
2088 Heart & Club (Agrotis clavis) 2
2089 Heart & Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 16
2098 The Flame (Axylia putris) 7
2107 Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 1
2128 Double Square-spot (Xestia triangulum) 2
2155 Dot Moth (Melanchra persicariae) 1
2160 Bright-line Brown-eye (Lacanobia oleracea) 3
2193 The Clay (Mythimna ferrago) 2
2198 Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura) 5
2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 1
2278 Poplar Grey (Acronicta megacephala) 1
2314 Dingy Shears (Parastichtis ypsillon) 1
2321 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha) 50
2322 Light Arches (Apamea lithoxylaea) 2
2337x Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.) 1
2343x Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis agg.) 2
2381 The Uncertain (Hoplodrina alsines) 59
2434 Burnished Brass (Diachrysia chrysitis) f. juncta 1
2466 The Blackneck (Lygephila pastinum) 1
2489 The Fan-foot (Herminia tarsipennalis) 2

Red-belted Clearwing

Tried some old phereomone lures in the garden today. Very windy and cloudy at times so less than ideal conditions. The only moth was this Red-belted Clearwing that came to the 'cul' lure, which is supposed to attract Large Red-belted. Perhaps the lures had become contaminated but in any case this is a welcome third record for the garden.

Red-belted Clearwing


Canon Powershot SX10