Really quiet bird-wise at the moment. The minor highlight first thing this morning was a common sandpiper on the beach near the lifeboat station. Also the smart adult mediterranean gull with several sandwich tern and a single common tern offshore, along with 4 common scoter.
I left an outside light on in the back garden last night. It attracted a handful of common moths but they're all species I haven't seen for a while.
Cabbage Moth
Scoparia Pyralella - a smart little micro
Bee Moth - another common micro - the larvae feed on the comb inside bee and wasp nests
Phlyctaenia Coronata - a micro - the larvae feed on the young leaves of elder
Smoky Wainscot - so named because, unlike many of its close relatives, it has a dusky grey hindwing
Dark Arches - I used to trap tonnes of these - a very common species
With Lu and the kids visiting friends in Teignmouth this afternoon I decided to have a look for a very unobtrusive little moth called Marsh Oblique-barred. I photographed the individual below at a site up on the Commons back in July 2007 but failed to find any today. It's a tiny, localised species that is frequently mistaken for a micro but it's actually a macro.
Whilst searching for the moth I came across plenty of butterflies. Good numbers of small tortoiseshell, ringlet, meadow brown and small heath. I also saw a few red admiral and several large skipper but couldn't locate any silver-studded blues. The grayling was the first one I've seen this summer.
Ringlet
Small Tortoiseshell
Grayling
Large Skipper
Round-leaved (I think) Sundew - a carnivorous plant
Bog Asphodel (thanks Terry) and beetle sp - I'd be grateful for any help with the identification of the beetle . My plant and beetle knowledge is non-existent.
Matt, the flower is Bog Asphodel! Can't help you with the beetle I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteGreat. Thank you Terry.
ReplyDeleteHi Matt, your beetle is Leptura aurulenta, a Cerambycid (Longhorn). There's a few similar spp. but The fringe of golden hairs front and back of thorax is diagnostic. It's actually a pretty rare sp. (Notable A). I photographed one on C.Raleigh Common a few years back and also had one in Topsham.
ReplyDeleteNow you've got me thinking about posting some of my old insect shots, at least until the birding picks up!
Many thanks Tim. That's great. Would never have noticed the golden hairs! Would be really interested in some insect stuff. Do you still run a moth trap?
ReplyDelete