On Thursday evening I led a Weekly Wander at the Community Woodland, this post is mostly to show folk who came along and others interested in Comrie Community Woodland what was found and what was attracted to the light traps we set that evening.
Car loaded with light traps and other entomology paraphernalia
I started off by explaining how the light traps are used, and then demonstrated a bit of sweep netting and a bit of bush bashing. These activities produced a lot of Lygus (probably all ruligopennis) a couple of Lasioglossum bees (probably calceatum, but determination pending), some Plagiognathus arbustorum, a very small weevil (to be determined) and a 14-spot Ladybird which I forgot to photograph. The wanderers very kindly helped lug all the gear up the hill to the trap site.
Plagiognathus arbustorum (photographed at home a few days earlier)
Lygus probably rugulipennis (photographed at home a few days earlier) - both the above are true bugs, Heteroptera
Lasioglossum calceatum (probably), a male. Common Furrow-bee.
The furrow-bee will be new to the site list when it is identified as none have been recorded previously. Earlier in the day when I'd been prepping the wander I'd come across a couple of Bombus lapidarius which surprisingly had not been recorded at the site previously.
Bombus lapidarius - new for the site and for myself (a really quite common beast and as bumblebees go striking looking).
Traps were positioned and by the time we got up the hill it was pretty much time to turn them on, however, I then discovered an electrical hitch with the Heath trap which meant it could not be started. However, 20 minutes re-wiring the crocodile clips a bit later on, after the wanderers had departed, resolved the issue, thankfully. Especially, after the help from everyone getting the kit in place.
Of course I forgot to take any general photographs, but here's a list of the light trap captures and some things from earlier in the day - a photo of my notebook, so forgive the mis-spellings and scribble. Two traps were used a Heath with a blue LED (H-LED listed first) and a Robinson with a green LED and a circular blue actinic (R-LED/Act, listed second after - ).
Should enable a view of what was new from this excursion, about ten species I think, including Silver Birch Betula pendula which had been omitted as I'd not recognised it as native to the site.
Nicrophorus investigator
Nicrophorus humator
Limnephilus marmoratus, a caddis fly - not a ctually a "fly" Tricoptera
Limnephilus lunatus
Lesser yellow Underwing
Juniper Pug
An Ichneumon to be determined if possible
Hedge Rustic, I've only seen one or two of these previously
This post is a tidy up. The blog is my wildlife diary (mostly), I quite often refer back to it for dates of wildlife events and to check photos etc referenced to my notebook. Things have been quite hectic recently and I've not posted about quite a few events which, for me at any rate, were remarkable or interesting.
Near home the other evening
At the moment the house is still covered in scaffold, the roof getting fixed, and it's raining a lot - it is Scotland in the summer. I'm listening to Hopefully! by Loyle Carner, on CD which elder daughter gave me a few weeks back and I've just got around to listening to, and enjoying, very much - music posts belong elsewhere though....
I've been doing quite a bit of Orkney mothing from here in Perthshire. I do the dissections of the commoner things for the CMR, the new for county etc go to more expert hands, although I did dissect the first Mottled Rustic for the islands, it's provenance being just a tad doubtful as it was found dead in a house.
Mottled Rustic Caradrina morpheus
I got gently told off by the expert dissectors for not fully opening the valves, but I always find that tricky, they tend to spring back, apparently squashing the specimen flat under the cover slip and then setting it with alcohol works, but that is not the easiest operation I find. Anyway, I think the lateral view helps and the ID was confirmed. (Thanks to GW for trusting me with the specimen.)
I've dissected a few things for myself as well, proving the first Mesapamea secalis for the garden, surprisingly, until now, the ones I'd checked had all been M. didyma Lesser Common Rustic, and the two I checked at the same time were both M. didyma. Also checking out a Rustic/Uncertain - it turns out to be Rustic Hoplodrina blanda (maybe) despite it, to my eye, looking like Uncertain Hoplodrina octogeneria. Not the easiest dissection as, it being a male, once getting the bits out it is necessary to dissect the aedaegus to see the number of the cornuti in the apex and I made a bit of a mess of that.
Rustic Hoplodrina blanda, probably
This should show the cornuti in two clear groups, but other than there being a lot of them, which points to H. blanda, it isn't that clear.
The shape of the juxta should be helpful, but it seems attenuated, perhaps better for H. octogeneria
I continue to be a verification assistant for Butterfly Conservation despite my relative in-expertise. However, every day is a learning day. It certainly focuses the mind when you are identifying for other folk and ensuring the data set is good. Some of the challenges come along before the moth gets to iRecord and I'm sent things. I've also been looking at historical records.
Puss Moth Cerura vinula, on an allotment close to ours recently.
Without going in to too much detail I've recently been able to confirm that Sallow Kitten is a valid Orkney species with two good records from 1977 (many thanks to MY for delving into his notebooks). I will write this up at a later date.
I've been quite lazy about my own mothing, not setting the traps very often. However, I continue to amass huge amounts of data with casual observations and captures. I spent the other afternoon under one of my favourite trees, there are a lot of those to choose from! This is a particular Salix caprea Goat Willow on the Community Woodland.
Salix caprea Goat Willow
It is a huge, beautiful and probably rather ancient beast. One of my vane traps is quite close to it so I visit regularly.
The list of species I amassed the other afternoon was quite impressive and included two species of insect that I had never come across previously, and a fungi.
Gall caused by the sawfly (Symphyta) Euura pedunculi
Linnavuoriana sexmaculata
Galls probably caused by the fungi Melampsora capraerum
Nearby there was another new bug for me:
Plagiognathus chrysenthemi
And then there were the beasts that were not identifiable.
A hoppers of the family Idiocerinae I think and I don't think these can be taken further without a specimen.
Unknown sawfly larva.
I found a better place to look for Castor fiber
Just a walk from home. The best views yet.
And I've subsequently been up Ben Lawers again and found more alpine plants, but I'll save that for another post.
