New? species- Red-headed Cardinal Beetle

I am sure I have seen these critters before but I can't find that I have recorded them anywhere so I guess it is technically a new species for The Beeches. There are three Cardinal Beetles in the UK and the Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis) is the most common.

Dryad's Saddle - looking good

The Dryad's Saddle (Polyporus squamosus) that lives on one of our big Ash trees is looking particularly fine and healthy at the moment. Given the fragile future for Ash trees it looks like it will outlive the tree it is feeding on.

Damselflies ovipositing

Despite the lack of water in our small pond and the preponderance of weed both Azure and Large Red Damselflies were busy ovipositing yesterday. It shows how a little bit of habitat, however unpromising, gets used. The photo is of Azure Damselflies which can be difficult to separate from other similar blue Damselflies but luckily the markings are clear enough to make the ID.

New Species - Bluebell Rust

Rusts are plant fungi that are usually plant-specific and so it transpires with Bluebell Rust (Uromyces muscari) which I found on the Bluebell leaf shown above. Given that we have tens of thousands of Bluebells I am surprised I haven't spotted this before.

New Species -Chocolate Mining Bee

I found two dead bees in the guest bathroom - I guess they must have entered through the fan opening. I managed to takes some photos using the USB microscope which allowed them to be identified as the Chocolate Mining Bee (Andrena scotica). Another one for the Bee List which is now 28 species long.

Green Woodpecker - up close

Feasting on ants outside the kitchen window. What brilliant colours this bird has.....

Twayblade

We had a single Twayblade last year, a surprise appearance after nine years here and so I have been looking for it this year in our West Field without success so far. I was however astonished to find a Twayblade yesterday in our East Field right on the footpath and looking pretty trampled. I hope it survives OK and if the other one reappears I shall be doing some hand pollinating!

Common Blues

This year's crop have just started appearing and I am hoping they will continue showing an increase year on year. I spotted a pair mating yesterday but by the time I got back with the camera there was just the male there (photo above). There are small differences in the patterns of the wing undersides that allow gender to be determined.

Small Tortoiseshells

There have always been some Tortoiseshells around but I didn't see many adults or any caterpillars last year so I was pleased to find a swarm of caterpillars today on the Nettles in my veggie patch. Hopefully that will translate into more adults later this summer and a return to better numbers of this species.

New Species - Common Groundhopper

A new Orthopteran! The downstairs door was open for a while and later I saw what appeared to be a tiny jumping insect. Closer examination revealed a creature like a small grasshopper and it turned out to be something called a Groundhopper, a Common Groundhopper ( Tetrix undulata) to be precise. I had never heard of these insects.