New moth species - Agonopterix arenella

Most additions to The Beeches Moths list (currently 134 species) come about after my occasional moth trapping nights but sometimes I come across a moth in other circumstances. This micro moth was found when I opened up a folding table that had been stored in the barn. I took a quick photo and then asked my local moth expert who was able to identify as Agonopterix arenella (no English name).

Goldcrest nest

I have seen Goldcrests here just once or twice in fifteen years. To be fair their song is at a higher frequency than my old ears can hear and they are a tiny elusive bird. However when clearing creeper from the walls I found an old very tiny nest and showing it to some experts tell me it is Goldcrest nest. The central area is about 2cm in diameter! I shall try and keep a sharper eye out for this fabulous bird next year.

Dryad's Saddle

It comes back every year - seemingly bigger each time and feeding on a poorly looking Ash. I think when the tree it is growing on succumbs to the disease affecting most Ash trees I am going to have a lot of firewood!

Lesser Horseshoe news

I've been delighted that a Lesser Horseshoe bat has been rossting in our shed for 12 years now even though it means I try not to use the shed when he's in residence. Single males I understood tend to roost alone and he was always in the same spot so I was happy that this was one individual. LH Bats can live up to 20 or 30 years of age but in the wild this is usually shorter. I opened the shed door today to see at least three Lesser Horseshoes - I quickly shut the door again so it's possible there were more. After a google I was told that males can be live alone in the summer but can also be found in small numbers together so that probably explains the increased numbers. He's brought some friends back! I'll go out this evening and see if I see any bats leaving the shed.

Sulphur Tuft

A common enough fungus and one that is easy to identify. It is often found on conifer stumps.

Another fox vs fawns incident

Following the interactions in August there was another sort of attempt by a fox to take down a fawn. This time there were a few fawns scattered in the field and a single fox appeared. This alerted the deer and they sort of moved closer. The fox attempted several times to take a run at the smallest fawn but the deer stood together and started moving towards it en masse. After three attempts to frighten the deer the fox just sat down and thought for a while before running off. The photo is later the same day - the fawns are chilling in the same field but have brought along some adults including a big buck for protection!

Bluefooted Bolete

Still no Waxcaps yet but there are some Boletes. I identified one from the East Field near Beech as Bluefooted Bolete (Xerocomellus cisalpinus). This is the one that shows red cracking cap, yellowish flesh and it stains blue. This is part of a complex group of Boletes and one other I found I was unsure of.

New Species - Black Bulgar

I left some medium sized Oak logs in a pile for some months and when I came to put them in store they had numerous small black cup fungi on them. It turns out to be a common fungi called Black Bulgar or Batchelor's Buttons or even Black Jelly Drop. Its scientific name is Bulgaria inquinans. Interestingly it is suggested it is an endophyte living harmlessly inside the living tree but fruiting when the tree dies or in large branches which are cut off.

Giant Puffballs

Not here but in a field about a mile away - some serious Giant Puffballs ( Calvatia gigantea). Not a species I have found on site here yet.

Snowy Inkcap

In the absence of grassland fungi here I thought I would show a species from a local site a couple of miles away. This is a specialist on cowpats but can also be seen on horse dung sometimes. There were hundreds of these at Trellech Wet Meadow as the site is being grazed by 18 Belted Galloway cattle. Like a lot of inkcaps it is an ephemeral species lasting a few days at most.

Deer welcome for a change.

The sheep that normally come to do some aftermath grazing are not coming for the first time since we moved here. That has meant I am now welcoming the deer who are doing that job. There were about ten fallow deer in the Est Field this morning all grazing so that should help keep nutrients low.

Lesser Horseshoe Bat

Delighted to see him in residence today. This is his (I know it's a male) thirteenth year in residence in my shed. I saw hin May this year so that's another summer he has made it through. It feels such a privilige to have one of the UK's rarest bats living here.

Weevil - Acorn Weevil?

The moth trapping also caught a weevil, which is I think the first one on my invertebrates list. We think it is an Acorn Weevil (Curculio glandium) but it might be the Nut Weevil (C. nucum). An expert has been asked the question as the differences between the two are minute.

Moth Trapping (4) - Straw Underwing

We trapped 10 Large Yellow Underwings but only one Straw Underwing. As it was kind enough to display its underwing briefly and I managed to get a photo I thought it would be a good idea to include a blog post on it.

Moth Trapping (3) - Brimstone Moth

I have recorded this species before but it gets a mention because it is a stunning looking moth that deserves to get its photo published.

Moth Trapping (2) - Chinese Character

Another stunning looking moth that is a new species for the site - great name as well. The Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata).

Moth Trapping (1) - Scorched Wing

I did manage to record `17 new moth species following my trapping overnight on 16th August which surprised me as I have trapped a couple of times in August before. However the weather has been exceptionally hot so would expect some different species including migrants. The best looking of the new ones has got to be the Scorched Wing (Pagodis dolabraria).

Caddis Fly - Limnephilus vittatus

Another bicatch from Sunday's moth trap was a Caddis Fly. Having someone to id it for me was crucial as there are around 200 species in the UK and most don't have English names. This one is one of the group known as Cinnamon Sedges due to the colours.

Shield Bugs

I have seen Shield Bugs around but haven't stopped to identify and record them. Yesterday I recorded moths from a moth trap and ampngst the moths were two Shield Bugs so I bothered to identify them this time. They were Red-legged Shield Bug (Pentotoma rufipes) and Birch Shield Bug (Elasmostethus interstinctus). There are 40 plus species in the UK so this may just be the start!

Juvenile Green Woodpecker

Green Woodpeckers are definitely one of the smartest looking birds and one we see a lot of here. This is a juivenile who has not developed its final colours yet.

Banquet for the spiders

The wasp colony has obviously grown a lot in size over the summer with a result that somehow a few wasps are fining their way indoors. Good news for these spiders who have wrapped one up for later consumption.

Slow Worms

This seems to be a good year for them - I keep seeing them on a regular basis. I think the large compost heaps of hay provide a great winter site for them and I guess the range of slugs and snails we have is a good food source for them. Old photo

Foxes and fawns interacting

I woke up early at 6am and looking out the window saw the Fallow Deer fawns playing in the East Field. It is entertaining watching them leap vertically kicking out their back legs as they egg each other on. As I was watching suddenly two foxes entered the scene and I suspect they were eyeing up their chances with one of the fawns so we had a swirl of deer and foxes like something out of a Disney film. The fawns weren't having it and even chased a fox briefly. After a few minutes the foxes retreated and sat in the long grass wondering what to do next. I imagined they were looking glum! Only managed one photo that included both animals and it's not a very good one.

New Species - Plum Fruit Moth

It's a bumper plum year this year so I am currently filling the freezer with them. Every so often there is a tiny orange and pink caterpillar in the plum and looking this up I find it is the Plum Fruit Moth larva (Grapholita funebrana) which was not on my moth list. We have four plum and damson trees but the moth also uses Blackthorn as a larval food plant so I expect there are plenty around here.

Clouded Yellow

It's been a few years since I've recorded a new butterfly species (error - I see that I recorded it here once before in 2014) and whilst I did see a Clouded Yellow a couple of miles away recently I wasn't expecting to see one here. We used to see these immigrant butterflies some years in Kent and Sussex when we lived there but this must be a bumper year for them to reach here. All to do with the heatwave I guess. The one I saw was a female - I'm hoping she was aiming to lay some eggs!

Wasps

Social wasps must be one of the most effective predators of aphids, mites and other tiny insects as well as being important pollinators. There is a nest of the Common Wasp (Vespula vularis) in the stone walls just outside our bedroom aqdn I can watch them in action. A month or so ago there was sporadic entrances into the walls - yesterday it was running at one per second. There must be thousands in the nest and lots of pests being eaten and lots of pollination going on.

Areas for invertebrates

I'm going to leave bigger areas uncut for invertebrates this year. I'm particularly thinking of the Marbled White butterflies which like some long and tussocky grasses but then lots of other invertebrates do as well. I'll leave some areas in each field. Thius is the patch in the East field.

Hay cut in progress

I started cutting the fields on 6 July but just a small part in the first week. A bigger week this week (13th to 19th July) so I am about a quarter done. Given the dry weather is likely to remain for the time being I should be able to reach the end of July with about half done, which is about the right schedule given that I want to allow some parts to remain uncut until late August. I will also leave slightly more uncut this year to help the invertebrates.

Butterflies

It has been a big year for quantities of butterflies. There are a large number of Gatekeepers currently and also Small Whites. Earlier there were lots of Meadow Browns and Ringlets. It's also been a better year for Marbled Whites and Holly Blues. Not so good for Common Blues and there seem to be fewer and fewer of what used to be very common butterflies such as the Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock. Still this extended hot dry period should allow them all to breed successfully. Photo - Gatekeepers on Wild Marjoram by our gate.

Clouded Yellow butterfly

Not here but less than two miles away in a meadow I was astonished to see a Clouded Yellow. Apparently it is a very good year for this migrating butterfly. I haven't seen one since we lived in Kent!. I've been checking our meadows today but no luck so far.

Final Orchid count

It's been a record breaking year - 1022 orchids - and a further big increase after the recovery from the 2024 low point. In summary we had 945 orchids in 2023, only 312 in 2024, a climb back to 723 last year and now a further increase of 41% to reach 1022. Also very positive to have six species including the new species, the single Green-winged Orchid. Great to see two Southern Marsh Orchids as well as we have only ever had one before and that was in 2023. Also positive was the five Bee Orchids equalling the total for last year. Perhaps the only disappointments were the lack of a Twayblade this year and the continuing struggle for Broad-leaved Helleborines. They have fallen from a high of 42 in 2021 to just 9 this yerar albeit that is better than the 2024 total of 6. All in all an excellent year despite the deer and rabbits and great to overtop one thousand orchids for the first time. Photo is the Green-winged of course.

Marbled Whites

I was pleased to see a Marbled White yesterday and am hoping there's going to be more. My favourite butterfly so emblematic of meadows in the Lower Wye valley, seems to be in decline on this site based on the last couple of years. It is a species that doesn't spread widely so I am hoping there is still a viable breeding colony here. Old photo.

Fallow doe plus fawn hanging around

Much as the deer can be irritating when they eat orchids, they also have an entertaining side and the fawn practising its pronking in front of the house was exactly that.

Stoat seen yesterday

Always a thrill to see and it's been a while. This one was moving right in front of the downstairs office glass doors - about three metres from me as I longed on the settee. I wonder how they find this extreme heat.

1,000 up

We've broken the one thousand barrier for orchids for the first time. Our previous high was 945 orchids in 2023, following which the numbers crashed to 312 in 2024, recovered to 723 last year and now surged on again to 1011 this year (so far). Add to that a new species, (the Green-winged Orchid), and it's been a very good year. Photo is the Green-winged.

Waxcap #2 for 2026 here - Citrine Waxcap

The 'early' waxcaps are very early this year. Here's the second one, Citrine Waxcap (Hygrovcybe citrinovirens). Just the Dingy Waxcap to go.

New species - Common Striped Woodlouse

As previously mentioned there are many more woodlice than I imagined - here's one of them - the Common Striped Woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum).

Broad-bodied Chaser

My latest pond is still not looking very good - the water is a muddy brown colour but that didn't stop a Broad-bodied Chaser patrolling it relentlessly. Whether there is sufficient prey for any young it sires is an open question. I'm guessing they know what they are doing having been around for many millions of years. Old photo.

Greater Butterfly Orchids

Our first GBO appeared in 2022, and we had two in 2023 but none in 2024. 2025 saw a single one again and this appeared to be the case for this year and the specimen in question is now in full flower. However yesterday I spotted what appeared to be a single GBO leaf and then two more close by. I checked Sean Cole's great book on UK orchids and it turns out that GBOs can send forth a single leaf if they are not going to flower that season. For me that means we now have four GBOs and I look forward to them all flowering next year! Photo is from last year - it's a bit wet outside today.

Waxcap #1 for 2026 - Fibrous Waxcap

Pretty early this year but there has been a lot of rain over trhe last ten days! Found in the West Field. We might see the other 'early' species Dingy Waxcap and Citrine Waxcap soon.

Southern Marsh Orchids

A second SMO has apperared - this time in the West Field. Meanwhile the Monmouthshire Meadows Group open day yesterday featured a site bursting with SMOs - see photo above!

New species - Cucumber Green Orb Spider

One of the many invertebtrates found when the expert visited was this spider (Araniella cucurbitina sensu lato). I have always struggled to identify spiders so it is good to add this one to the list. It feeds mostly on aphids and midges.

Soprano pipistrelles provide nightly entertainment

Feeding on insects at high speed around the house - much better than the Red Arrows. Sometimes very close to each other. Video on link below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nFgS3OFJJzHv4JIg7zLrqGTMfs51kZrH/view?usp=sharing

New Species - Ant Woodlouse

Until my recent time spent with a local invertebrate expert I had no idea of how many species of woodlice there are. Perhaps the oddest one is the tiny white, blind Ant Woodlouse (Platytarthrus hoffmannseggii) which basically lives in Ant Nests feeding of ant faeces and any other detritus in the nest so they are tolerated by the ants. Once I get the list of woodlice species I'll record them here.

Southern Marsh Orchid

Three years ago, mysteriously a single Southern Marsh Orchid appeared in the East Field. At the time it was our seventh orchid species. Three years later a second Southern Marsh Orchid has appeared not far from the site of the origional one. Amazing. With the single Green Winged Orchid flowering this year we now have eight species of orchid - quite outstanding.

Quaking Grass

My favourite grass (with apologies to Crested Dog's Tail which is also special!) is Quaking Grass which seems to be increasing slowly in the East Field. Easily overlooked as it is small and subtle.

Orchids @ 28th May

For some forgotten reason I always note the number of Common Spotted Orchids found by 28 May. This year it is a all-time high of 507 orchids. However I am not feeling that we are going to get anywhere near the 945 orchids (includes other species) found in 2023. We shall see. In that year there were only 369 Common Spotteds by 28 May but I think the season is a lot earlier this year. In 2023 we reached 529 orchids total by the 6 June so if we are ten days ahead of 2023 climate/weather wise that would make a lot of difference.

Heath Spotted Orchid

I suspect that there are a few Heath Spotted Orchids around but this is the first confirmed one. It is in flower and has all the right features - flower shape more rounded than the Common Spotted; flower lips blowsier with central lip much smaller and not protruding; pattern more speckled than strong loops; flower colour pale and paler smaller leaf spots. So far the non Common Spotted total; one Butterfly, one Green Winged, four Broad-leaved Helleborines and now one Heath spotted.

Lesser Horseshoe Bat back on site!

That makes it twelve years in a row that the male LH Bat is making its summer home in our shed. It is at least thirteen years old but quite likely older. Proud to have him around even if it keeps me out of the shed!

New Species - Oak Snakefly

I had an invertebrate expert come over to see what he could find on site and desdpite our day being curtailed by rain he found a lot of invertebrates. While I wait for confirmation of the species he noted I can show the species that he was most excited by - an Oak Snakefly. Snakeflies are apparently rarely seen as they spend their time high up in the tree canopy hunting aphids and mites. This one had conveniently come down to a hawthorn hedge and posed while I took photos. Impressive creatures and rarely recorded.

Playtime for the fox cubs

They were definitely enjoying themselves racing around, ambushing each other and dreaming of capturing birds.

Exciting new species - Green-winged Orchid

A Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio) was last seen on this part of The Narth in 1987 and one has appeared in flower in the West Field. It is a species I have longed to see here. I certainly spread a little seed last year but that can't have produced this flower as they take years to get to the flowering stage. I also did a few years ago but whether this is from introduced seed or buried seed we may never know. I suspect the latter because this is not an area I would have cast the see in and also it has been a good year for GWOs flowering as evidenced by the hundreds that have appeared close to Trellech that by coincidence I was looking at just before I found the one here.

Greater Butterfly Orchid

We first had a butterfly orchid in 2022 - just one. There were two in 2023, none in 2024 and one in 2025. Now one has appeared with just basal leaves at the moment. We can hope for another one but it is not all certain.