Halesus radiatus, with damaged antennae.
The new key to adult caddis is available in test form. The deal is to try it out and report on successes and failures. I know the one above, and it's quite common at the light traps at the moment. This next one was a bit more awkward but came out fairly easily.
However, I came unstuck with the next one.
I started off on the right track, despite not looking carefully enough. I went for Ceraclea senilis, somehow ignoring all those dark spots on the wings (also not possible on distribution). Then headed off, incorrectly, to Molanna, mostly because I don't understand how the rolled wings should look, never having actually seen one of these. I was given a bit of help and went back to the Leptoceridae. I now think this is most likely a Ceraclea, perhaps fulva, but I can't see a pale patch on the wings. I have a specimen so it will be a genitalia job I think.
The key is available by asking here: Aidgap.pu@field-studies-council.org
There are times when the intruders in the moth traps are a lot more interesting than the moths. The Deleaster is not a common beetle, but the third and fourth of the year turned up in a trap recently. Neris flavomarginatus is a bug I've found in the garden once previously good to find it again in a trap.
There have been interesting moths though, here's Angle Shades to sugar. And mooching around in the garden at night with a torch a large moth buzzed me, I watched it settle and found this very smart Red Sword-grass.
The second two pictures were taken with the Olympus 5 using the flash with my beating tray (white umbrella) sleeve as the diffuser. Needed a bit too much work in the software, I don't think I had the settings quite right.
A new hoverfly for the garden, Meliscaeva auricollis. A huge crop as it was deep in the honeysuckle, somewhat out of reach of my 90mm (equiv) lens. Not an especially common species in Orkney.
A couple of books arrived today, the 2nd edition of the concise Bloomsbury moth guide, as my 1st edition is seriously knackered - just need to transfer some of the notes now. I also weakened and bought the ladybird guide. Interested to see that my Hyperaspis pseudpustulata might be the first record in Scotland for quite some time.
There are a lot of visitors here at the moment, it seems like more than usual. Places like Yesnaby are quite busy. But at the weekend we turned south and walked to the Brock of Borwick. I'm fascinated by the fence line of stone and like photographing it, one day I'll get something I'm pleased with. Lovely to sit at the brock and look out, imagining the folk 1,000s of years previously, in the same spot, doing the same thing.
Syrphus vitripennis (probably) it could be torvus.
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