New Species - German Wasp

The German Wasp (Vespula germanica) is common enough but I hadn't formally identified a specimen from here before. A dead Wasp in our longe gave me the opportunity for a close examination and the specimen turns out to be a German Wasp. The facial markings are one way to distinguish it from the Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris).

Butterfly Summary

Overall it has to be considered another poor year for Butterflies. There are some bright spots but what I consider the everyday common Butterflies seem in short supply. The Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Large Whites and Small Whites which in a typical garden make up most of the Butterflies you see were not seen as frequently as they were five or six years ago. The good news is that the Marbled Whites are still doing well. They hit the hot dry spell this year and were a common sight for the best part of two months over both fields and near the house. The most successful this year were the Meadow Browns with whole clouds of them at one point. The sixteen species seen this year rate as follows: Great year - Meadow Brown Good year - Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Orange Tip OK year - Common Blue, Ringlet, Still around - Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock Hanging on - Small Skipper,Painted Lady,Comma, Red Admiral, Small Copper Photo is an old one of a Small Skipper

Painted Lady

This may be one of last Butterfly species to be recorded here this year - it is the sixteenth and I usually record between fifteen and eighteen of the twenty three (or possibly twenty four) species I have noted here. This is an immigrant Butterfly, the UK specimens typically being progeny of Butterflies originally breeding in large quantities in North Africa.

Sorting out the Hawkish Complex flowers

I get various Hawbits and Catsears here at The Beeches. Earlier in the season identification seems straightforward enough with clear specimens of Rough Hawkbit and Catsear growing, sometimes in profusion. The Catsears have fairly glabrous stems, often multiple flowerheads per stem. A bract on the stem and are quite tall often and the hairs on the leaves are not forked. Rough Hawkbits also quite tall, hairy stems and bracts, single flowers and have forked hairs on the leaves. Later in the season it all gets a bit confusing so I got out the hand lens and USB microscope and examined some specimens yesterday. Specimen 1 A mostly glabrous stem, leaves that are bluntish at the end and not very sticky outy with unforked hairs and a reddish colour under the outer rays That is a Catsear (photo). Specimen 2 A sparsely hairy, smallish in height, with forked hairs, single flowers and somewhat sticky out leaves and greyish green colour under the outer rays . This is Lesser Hawkbit which I thought I had but I am now sure. Specimen 3 Sticky out leaves with pointy end and unforked hairs, more than one flower on stem and grey colour under the outer rays. This is Autumn Hawkbit which I don't think I had recorded before. The Rough Hawkbits are no longer in flower so I didn't come across any of them.

New Hoverfly Species - Great Pied Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens)

My attention was drawn to this unusual looking fly with a 'transparent' abdomen segment and attractive wing markings which closer inspection showed was a Hoverfly. Once I had spotted the Vena spuria confirming it was a Hoevrfly it was a fairly quick id using my Ball and Morris Hoverfly book. It is a very common fly but not one I had spotted here before.

New Moth Species - Canary-shouldered Thorn

Great name and great look - a humdinger of a Moth. It wasn't patient enough to let me get a good photo of it before it cleared off.

Moth Trapping #2

A second trap was set last night so a 4:30am start this morning. Lots of new species for The Beeches but one of the best was not strictly new as it had been recorded in larval stage before. Still worth a photo though. The Elephant Hawk Moth.

Wild Teasel - in all its glory

This new species is now significantly taller than me, has some beautiful mauve flowers and is a big attraction for insects. Hopefully it spreads in the rough ground where it has appeared.