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.

New Moth Species (5 ) - Light Emerald

Another striking new species for me was the Light Emerald (Campaea margaritata). Two or three came to the trap. As it is a typical woodland species we benefit in getting such Moths by our proximity to the woodland and from the trees on site

New Moth Species (4) - Four-spotted Footman

I was going through photos of Moths I didn't take to be identified and found one that I had assumed was the same as the Common Footman that was formally id'd. I looked it up and found it to be a Four-spotted Footman (Lithosia quadra) - a male so it doesn't actually have any spots. This is much less common and widespread than the Common Footman so a pleasing catch. It is also a very elegant Moth (apart from the bald patch!)