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.
Having done a recce, see earlier post - Meall Corranaich - and then a "training" run, going up Carn Chois where I found what is apparently the fourth record for Scotland (NBN) of Gasterophilus intestinalis Horse Bot Fly sitting on the trig point.
Gasterophilus intestinalis
A "training" run that had nearly done for us as we had seriously under-estimated the distance, steepness and sun exposure that would be encountered. This due to the Carn being a "close" hill we can see from the house, and so had somewhat underestimated its difficulty, particularly as we went at it from Glen Lednock and not the shorter and more sensible route from Glen Turret.
Carn Chois
A Euphrasia sp, the flowers are very small and this one only seems to grow quite high, c 600m. I'm wondering if it is identifiable.
There were lots of butterflies, including many Dark Green Fritillary and higher up Small Heath.
Dark Green Fritillary
Irritatingly this plant, a potential P-SL tick, could not be identified as I did not know I needed to look at the fruits and seeds.
Melilot, either Melilotus officianalis or M. altissimus. I might go back later today and check it. I need to get the colour of the seeds amongst other things - Stace (I now have a copy) says I need to measure the fruits and see if they are hairy or not, count the seeds, note the seed colour and compare the keel and the wings (equal or shorter). Botany is hard! (Fruit hairy, two seeds, pod 6.5mm = M. altissimus)
Botany is even harder when the target species are near the top of the 10th highest Munro. However, this is easier than Carn Chois as you can drive to a car park quite high up, and nowhere is the path really steep, provided you avoid the Beinn Ghlas route.
The now dried up pool at the col.
The pool at the col that was so full of life last time is now bereft of water. Car park to col 1 hour if you get a bit of move on.
On the way to the col I managed to pause long enough to pick up a Carabus glabratus, a species I'd not seen previously.
Carabus glabratus
From the col you circumvent Beinn Ghlas, the paths are a bit rough initially but the views are spectacular.
Looking in to Glen Lyon (I think)
An Stuc in the distance and Ben Lawers. The target area is the rocky outcrop below the summit of Ben Lawers.
90 minutes to get to the botany area. I was in a bit of a rush as the team had gone off to do another Munro or two whilst I botanised. This gave me less than the optimal amount of time.
As you go up you start to notice a few interesting plants, Mossy Saxifrage and Alpine Mouse-ear can be found along the path. The usual Alchemilla conundrums are frequently encountered and whilst I did take a specimen or two (which all proved to be glabra) I was largely ignoring these despite the potential of two or three P-SL ticks.
Mossy Saxifrage Saxifraga hypnoides - I don't think there is a hybridisation issue at this site.
Alpine Mouse-ear Ceratium alpinum can also be found along the path
Once at the spot I quickly came across Alpine Lady-fern. I'm pretty confident this is ok. From what I understand a bit early in the year for getting all the features on these but Obsi was happy and my fern book seems to indicate I'm on safe enough ground. It's always a bit of a call with taxa that are somewhat alien to me. Never all that keen on ferns and fungi in particular, or bees for that matter.
Alpine lady-fern Athyrium distentifolium
Habitat shot, plant community on schist, an alkali substrate I believe. The taller bushy stuff is Roseroot Rhodiola rosea
The three standout plants for me were Arctic Gentian (I took lots of photos), Arctic Forget-me-not, I just managed to find one flowering, and Net-leaved Willow, which I was shown, otherwise I suspect I might have missed it. An hour was just not long enough and I'm hoping to go back on a more leisurely schedule later this week.
I was very fortunate in that a real botanist arrived at the site shortly after me and showed me a few things. However, I did find my own gentians, they are tiny! And for the Arctic Forget-me-not I found two, one of which had a single flower remaining. Follows a lot of images!
Alpine Forget-me-not Myosotis alpestris
Net-leaved Willow Salix reticulata
Alpine Gentian Gentiana nivalis, habitat, there are two in the image.
Alpine Gentian Gentiana nivalis, a very tiny plant
The hour shot by and all too soon I had to leave, indeed I cut it a bit fine and ended up half running down the hill.
