Sunday 29 June 2014

A Few Bits and Bobs, Otherwise Quiet


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.


4 comments:

  1. Matt, the flower is Bog Asphodel! Can't help you with the beetle I'm afraid.

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  2. Hi 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.

    Now you've got me thinking about posting some of my old insect shots, at least until the birding picks up!

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  3. 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?

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