Three new garden moths

Until today, I didn't believe that clearwings existed. People talked about them but I had no evidence that they were actually a tangible entity.

A bit like an omnipotent deity, really.

Until today. Today, one of my lures actually worked. Most seem to be duff but one of them finally pulled in one of these mythical creatures. Unfortunately, it came in, flew around, landed, let me look at it and then I failed to net it and it flew off. So I have no record except that which was burned upon my retina.

Yellow-legged Clearwing. Lovely. Now for the rest of them.....

I also had two new micros for the garden in the MV last night.

Blastodacna hellerella and Ancylis achatana both rather lovely looking things and both feeders on hawthorn. And there's quite a bit of that about .

Northern Tigers

The last Bank Holiday in May saw us decamp to NW Cumbria for a four night break. The weather was utterly amazing, wall to wall sunshine and decent temperatures. I'd never been to this part of the world before, the beaches were stunning and the lack of large numbers of people much appreciated. 

We visited Bowness on Solway and the RSPB Campfield Marsh reserve (much recommended) but it was a trip to Drigg Dunes just north of Ravenglass that was top of my list of destinations. 

The northern most population of Northern Dune Tiger Beetles Cicindela hybrida is found here and they were incredibly easy to see just south of the access to the beach. Lots of them though rather flighty I did manage a few quick shots. 

Their habitat is distinctly different from their southern counterpart, comprising sloping and more fluid sand dunes. There were also some Green Tiger Beetles Cicindela campestris in amongst them.

There was a supporting cast of other beetle species including large numbers of Otiorhynchus atroapterus on the Marram grass.

 And several Broscus cephalotes were under debris and running about the strand line.

Unusually for me I did notice and photograph a couple of spiders that caught my eye. The first, Arctosa perita, due to its beautiful colours and yet amazing ability to vanish when it stopped moving. The colours well-matching those of the sand.

The other one was a small jumping spider, a Heliophanus species, possibly flavipes if the pale legs are anything to go by. Rather cute and was completely unfazed as I got in close for a snap.

Lunchtime longhorns

There's not much flowering hawthorn at work but I have been watching one patch assiduously at lunchtimes this week.

Half of it has been in full sun and attracting all sorts of flies, bees and beetles. Along side the Malachite beetles and Anapsis, there have been three species of longhorn beetle.

Double figures of the small Grammoptera ruficornis but also several Molorchus minor and today a single individual of Anaglyptus mysticus.

All have been a rather nice distraction from a rather hectic week at work. Rather apt really as we come to the end of Mental Health Awareness Week. The ability to get outside, see some nature and uncouple from a computer goes a long way to combatting the worries and stresses that come with modern living. Plus they're bloody good looking beetles.

Anaglyptus mysticus

Molorchus minor

Getting ahead

I got a long expected tick yesterday, well it wasn't a tick it was a louse. The head louse Pediculus humanus.

Both kids had had itchy heads for a couple of days but try as I might I couldn't see anything. However, some adults appeared yesterday and they were easy enough to spot.

Being completely bald it's not something I need to worry about but everyone else has now been shampooed and combed profusely.

I never had them as a child and don't really remember any one else getting them either, but there always seem to be outbreaks at my kids' school.

I'm not really sure of the reason. Financial cuts to schools leading to a loss of school nurses? People having generally cleaner, and therefore more attractive to lice, hair. Who knows.

Anyway, not a species I particularly want to see up close again......

Sussudio

When I was growing up Phil Collins was everywhere and then suddenly he wasn't. 

Why am I talking about an 70s and 80s musician in a blog predominantly about nature, well....every time I hear the word pseudoscorpion it makes me thing of the Collins track, Sussudio.

And that was what I was humming to myself as I walked around late one night last week with a torch looking at trees.

I was on the hunt for the biggest of the UK's pseudoscorpions, Dendrochernes cyrneus, aka the Large Tree-chernes. 

Apparently associated with ancient woodland, these certainly hadn't read the memo and were on a variety of tree species around a local golf course. They were easy to spot and when the light was on them, waved their hands in the air almost as if they just didn't care. Awsome.

A couple of garden ticks

A quick 15 minutes with a tray and a stick yesterday, resulted in loads of spiders that I have neither the desire nor the skill to identify plus a load of plant hoppers. I let those all go on their merry way and concentrated on what I thought I could probably identify.

Along with several Meligethes aeneus and a couple of species of larger ladybird I managed to get a couple of ticks.

The first was the tiny ladybird Nephus quadrimaculatus. At only 1.7mm it really is small. It was beaten off mistletoe but apparently is often found on old ivy and there's quite a bit of that nearby.

The second new species for me was a sawfly. I have never knowingly identified one before seemingly knew what it was as soon as I saw it. A quick romp through the key took me to Abia sericea and a female to boot.

A very stunning beast with the most immense jaws too. But although I tried, I just couldn't get a pic of them so the above will have to suffice.

Pasque-ing in the sun

Today was the first day of spring, or at least it felt that way. Sun, blue skies and a temperature that required the removal of jumpers whilst walking. It's been so bloody miserable and depressing recently that the effect of a sudden change in weather felt like a shot of something illegal, my mood was that different.

We had lots of jobs to do but I persuaded the kids to go for a walk on Therfield Heath near Royston. It is a chalk hillside which is still traditionally grazed and has a golf course and horse racing right through the middle of it plus an inordinate number of dog walkers.

Despite this, on the steeper south facing slopes one can find the rather lovely Pasqueflowers Pulsatilla vulgaris which flower each spring. They were easy to see and several hundred were out in force, scattered across the slope. A new plant for me.

Apparently, according to legend, pasqueflowers spring from the blood of Viking Warriors and grow upon their graves. I didn't see many dead vikings, but it's a nice story, nonetheless.

Despite all the golfers and dogs there were also a ridiculous number of skylarks both singing and on the ground. Can't remember the last time I've seen so many.

A couple of weeks of good weather looks likely now so I'm hoping for some moth outings with a little beetling on the side. Fingers crossed.