Wednesday 18 August 2021

The stuff I forgot and some more.

 A couple of fungal things to kick off with. A rust on Cocksfoot and a mummified Rhingia campestris stuck to a leaf.


Many thanks to LJ who has identified this as a choke, Epichloë typhina. Now I'll need to go and find out what a choke is...

Rhingia campestris fungal attacked by Entomophthora.

Moths:

I do love a Great Brocade, product of SE winds.

There was a Bedstraw Hawk-moth up the road, not in my garden.

This may, or, may not be Depressaria sordidatella, if correct third county record, awaiting judgement.

Autumnal Rustic, first for the year.

Another NFY, Pink-barred Sallow.

The above two from today. A trap stuffed with Large Yellow Underwing, they do drive me a bit mad. There were probably 200 in there, I didn't bother to count. The caddisfly numbers have reduced substantially, to the point where it might be worth trying a trap down at the Wee Wood, a place where a light trap can be completely overwhelmed by them. Next week maybe.

I'm more and more interested in what else is in the moth trap, other than moths, the identification challenge with Diptera is currently a bit beyond me but I do know a few. The new soldierfly book is getting a few runs out. Of late I've been catching a few bumblebees, they are quite confusing to identify, especially as we have local variations which don't follow the "rules".



Above three all the same animal, either Bombus pascuorum or Bombus muscorum, I'm kind of favouring B.muscorum for this one.

This one from today perhaps more likely B.pascuorum.

Our roses have been decimated by a sawfly. Good job it's new for the county.

Endelomyia aethiops.

Thanks to SS for the suggestion of a fruit sugar feeding station. It's doing well for wasps if not so well for moths.


Vespula rufa.

...and flies, Cynomya mortuorum.

At a guess some sort of Muscidae.

Lucilia sp, when I've tried to key these in the past caesar seems the most likely.

Calliphoridae species...

Underwater, we haven't been swimming again as the weather's been a bit off but a bit of rockpooling the other day and we found a couple of Sea Hares, dead chuffed.

Sea Hare.

Sea Hare hiding in the Gut Weed.

Beaded Anenome.

Distant -

Close, some sort of hydroid I'm guessing. Coralline algal species most likely.

The rain has raised the level of The Shunan and messed up the wader watching. A Quail most likely called once at home, again not substantive enough, I need to get the noc mig gear out I think. However, the first juv Hen Harrier of the year, two more Hen Harriers on the nearby moor and more than 100 Sand Martin's hunting The Shunan have been very good to see.

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