First waxcap of the season

On the last day of July we have the first waxcap here at The Beeches- a Citrine Waxcap (Hygrocybe citrinovirens). Looking forward to a lot more species over the next four months or so.

Common Wasp - Vespa vulgaris

I have never really checked out any of the social wasps and I suppose I ignorantly assumed they tended to have nests in attics and rooves and trees so I was intrigued by a wasps nest in a hole dug probably by a rabbit. It turns out that the Common Wasp uses holes in the ground and it is the Tree wasp that nests in attics, rooves and trees. Of course!

New Species - Hemp Agrimony

Every year there are a few new flower species appearing on the site - today's new arrival is Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabium). It has taken up residence amongst brambles on some rough ground behind the garage.

Blackcap

My favourite birds to see, neither of which come to the feeders are Bullfinches and Blackcaps. Both are extraordinarily elegant to look at and the Blackcap has the additional benefit of one of the best songs around. Today it was a female in the apple tree next to the house that caught my attention.

Dog Fox hunting in the meadow

I haven't seen much of foxes in the last couple of years - which is surprising given the glut of rabbits. However there was a big dog fox in the field last evening and I quite like the way the picture came out taken through a long lens hurriedly.

Close up of young stag

This fine-looking deer came right up close to the house in its search for juicy tree shoots. Eventually my attempts to photograph it caused it to bound away but I managed a head shot before disturbing it.

New Moth Species - Black Arches

Dead and rather faded but there was a male Black Arches (Lymantria monacha) in the bedroom. It is a moth of mature oak woods. At first it appears quite restrained with a pattern of lines on a pale background but closer examination shows a couple of striking bright pink bands on the abdomen.

Hoverfly - Criorhina floccosa?

Another Hoverfly from the carcasses in the house - this time it has its head but the antennae are missing. Nonetheless I am reasonably confident in identifying it as Criorhina floccosa (but not certain). It certainly looks like a bee mimic and C floccosa is a mimic of the Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascorum). The clincher for me are the tufts of pale hair from the abdomen.

Hoverfly - Helophilus pendulus

I have been checking out some of the insects in the killing fields that are our downstairs when the doors are open. I managed to identify this hoverfly despite it not having its head (not sure how that happened). It is a female Helophilus pendulus. I have recorded that species before but last time it was a male so I attach the photo of the headless one.

Butterfly update

The hot spell has brought peak butterfly for this year so far. The Marbled Whites are still flying and the first Painted Ladies. and Gatekeepers are also in the air. Small Skippers and Common Blues are around as are Large Whites, Red Admirals, Commas, Tortoiseshells and of course Ringlets and Meadow Browns. All that's missing is a Fritillary of some sort - I've only ever seen one here. The Painted Lady is a fine looking butterfly with its wings spread but it maybe takes the prize for an outstanding underwing look - as shown above.

Marbled Whites and other returnees

Amongst the disappointing no-shows last year was the Marbled White butterfly I am delighted that they are back this year in their usual July time slot. Definitely the most impressive Monmouthshire meadow butterfly. The two other big no-shows last year were House Sparrows and Swallows. House Sparrows have returned in the form of one pair who are raising their second brood in one of the House Martin nest boxes I installed which is a step forward although not the three or four nests in our roof space that were occupied two years ago. Swallows have not returned to nest although there was one pair checking out the garage for a couple of days. I have seen swallows flying over the fields from time to time however so I am still hopeful they may return next year to breed.

New Hoverfly species - Volucella inflata

I have been remiss in identification of Hoverflies given that the Field Guide by Ball and Morris is so good but an expired hoverfly in the house gave me an opportunity to study one closely. It turned out to be Volucella inflata which is fairly close to the edge of its range in the UK here in Monmouthshire. The adults visit bramble (which we have plenty of) and the larvae inhabit sap runs on trees

New Species - Giant Wood Wasp

I saw this striking insect ovipositing into the Larch planks we recently clad our barn with. Part of the idea of replacing tin sheets with untreated Larch was to provide some wildlife habitat so it was gratifying to see it put to use already. The Giant Wood Wasp (Urocerus gigas) is not a wasp at all but a Sawfly. They are in the same Order, Hymenoptera, as Ants, Bees and Wasps but have cylindrical rather than the waisted bodies seen on Wasps.