Anyone for Cricket

Went to The NE corner of the Serpentine reserve near Hampton today specifically looking for orthopterans and hoping to find one of the coneheads. Just two males were 'singing' very quietly in some long rank grass next to the ponds.

Roesel's on the other hand were everywhere and very noisy.

Long-winged Conehead Conocephalus discolor



Roesel's Bush-cricket Metrioptera roeselii


Nikon Coolpix P4

Lesser Whitethroat

Ferry Meadows is providing an excellent array of common warblers at the moment. I stopped to try to photograph a couple of Spotted Flycatchers this morning but although they quickly moved on many warblers stayed put and this was the most obliging of those.

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca



Digiscoped with Nikon Coolpix P4 and Leica APO77 20x

Second generations

Lots of second generation moths appearing at the moth trap now. Maiden's Blush is only the second to appear in the garden and in far better condition than the first.

Maiden's Blush Cyclophora punctaria


Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata


Tawny Speckled Pug Eupithecia icterata


Light Emerald Campaea margaritata


Nikon Coolpix P4

Fairhaven Garden

No trip to the Norfolk Broads would be complete without Egyptian Geese so here's one at Fairhaven Garden.

Of far more interest to me was the presence of another introduced species now well established in much of southern Britain. The Rhododendron Leafhopper is a very pretty insect closeup. It appears rather reddish and moth-like in flight but is predominantly green at rest.

Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus


Rhododendron Leafhopper Graphocephala fennahi


Conops quadrifasciata


Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum




Nikon Coolpix P4

More Migrant Moths

Cooler wetter weather has reduced the numbers of moths on the wing in my garden but there are still a few migrants turning up. The star so far is Bordered Straw which, like Small Mottled Willow, doesn't often make it to this part of the world.

Bordered Straw Heliothis armigera


Dark Sword-grass Agrotis ipsilon


The rest are not migrants but Yellow-barred Brindle is a garden first.

Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata


Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum


Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis f. aurea


Lozotaeniodes formosanus


Nikon Coolpix P4

Common Darter

It's that time of year again. Lean pickings at Prior's Fen had me reduced to taking more closeups of Common Darter.

Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum, female


Nikon Coolpix P4

Emerald Damsels

Another successful search for Small Red-eye Damselfly at Fitzwilliam Bridge near the old sewage works site along the Nene east of Peterborough. Just a single male, which I couldn't photograph, but there were not that many insects about anyway in relatively cool conditions.

Most obvious were the Emerald Damsels which were actively pairing up. The bright blue eyes on some got me thinking about Scarce Emerald. The pruinescence is too extensive on segment 2 for that species (and the colour of the female looks wrong too). But I guess they could be out there somewhere.

Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa

Nikon Coolpix P4

Wiltshire Wonders

All photographed around the Avebury area. Any help with the orthopterans would be most welcome.

Common Blue Polyommatus icarus


Chalkhill Blue Polyommatus coridon


Brown Argus Aricia agestis


Two unidentified grasshoppers.



Nikon Coolpix P4

Hants Moths

A visit to the folks in Hampshire provided an opportunity to see a few moths we don't get at home as well as quite a few we do.

Sharp-angled Peacock Semiothisa alternaria


Maple Pug Eupithecia inturbata


Mecyna flavalis


Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria


Apotomis betuletana


Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis


Nikon Coolpix P4