A day in Lincolnshire, Insects Galore.

Lincolnshire, a county I usually avoid when it comes to wildlife, especially of the invertebrate kind, acres of arable aren't the best for a few decent insects.  However I discovered a jewel that several of you may already be aware of namely the Lincolnshire Lime Woods.  I've not been there before even though they are only an hour away from me here in Notts.  They're beautiful,  varied tree species, unlike my regular haunt of Sherwood, good ground flora and the purpose of our trip a reintroduced colony of Marsh Fritillary, Photographs show that we found the fritillaries, absolute stunners and looking reasonably happy as I encountered at least 3 mating pairs. Also noted were several Dingy skipper and Common Blue.  Also noted a nice full grown Glow worm larva on the path. Not often you see these before dark.  

Glow worm larva (Lampyris noctiluca) Chambers Farm Wood Lincs' 26th May 2015. 

Marsh Fritillary, Chambers Farm Wood Lincolnshire 26th May 2015 

Ragged Robin - Chambers Farm Wood 26th May 2015

Dingy Skipper in Small Skipper like pose - For some reason this one didn't want to spread its wings. 

Marsh Fritillary Lincolnshire 26th May 2015 

Mating pair of Marsh Fritillary, Lincs' 26th May

A trip to the coast followed a little dull by now but a walk from Sutton On Sea to Huttoft bank although a little too many people for me did yield the beautiful and large weevil Cleonus pigra, and the equally beautiful Marram grass weevil Philopedon plagiatum    The former beast likes thistles and is reasonably common along the Lincolnshire and North Norfolk coastline, whilst as the name suggests the latter pictured weevil is associated with Marram grass .  

Cleonus pigra, taking in the sea air Sandilands Lincs' 26 May 2015  (Size 13mm)

Philopedon plagiatum - lincolnshire (size approx 5mm)

Chips and Peas in "sunny" Mablethorpe and early evening at Theddlethorpe NNR where the sun did shhine.  Another beautiful spot with good numbers of Common blue, Wall and Small Heath. Strange how you can get excited by a Wall butterfly,   Haven't seen one for several years in Notts. However highlight was not a butterfly but fantastic views of a hunting Hobby.  Photograph of it perched on a bush shown,  taken with my trusty macro lens. 

Small Heath - Theddlethorpe 26th May 2015 

Can you see it - Hobby in the Hawthorn bush. 

Who said Lincolnshires boring - I did,  but I'll have to retract what I said after a thoroughly enjoyable and surprising day. 

My Least Favourite Terrestrial Arthropod

Beetles, can't get enough of them, Bees and Wasps the same, Ants, not fot me even centipedes and woodlice hold a certain fascination, but ticks, they unsettle me like nothing else.  Plenty to be found on Budby Heath today.  Had an April sweep over the heath and along woodland edges to see what was out and about early,  Well Ixodes ricinus. the sheep tick seemed to turn up quite regularly in the net.  Good job I had long trousers on.  Not a lot else to find other than  the Oil beetle Meloe proscarabeus,  a single female minotaur beetle perambulating across the sand (usually these chaps don't come out until dark and several of my favourites the Tiger beetle Cicindela campestris.  Only beetle of note in the sweep net was the tiny red and black weevil Coeliodinus rubicundus (no picture provided as its a little too small to photograph clearly) 

Ixodes ricinus - Budby Heath 

Tiger Beetle - taking in the rays Budby Heath 26th April 2015

Agapanthia villosoviridescens on Heracleum sphondylium

Agapanthia villosoviridescens - Shelford Notts 1st June 2014

I just had to use these names in the title, they're so much better then the common names,  not sure what Agapanthia's common name is, but the plants English name is Hogweed.  If you get out and about in the next month or two this beetle s relatively easy to find on Hogweed stems.  Look for tall strong Hogweed growing out in the open, the beetle doesn't seem to enjoy sitting on Hogweed in either the shade or in hedgerows based on my own observations. The first time I saw this beetle was on the site of the old Netherfield Railway sidings. The exact site is now covered by concrete as part of that monstrosity to progress known as a retail park.  Netherfield Retail Park, a real eyesore with absolutely nothing that I want to buy, hence I don't use it.   Still A. villosoviridescens appears to be doing OK in the county I can usually find if I look.  Also included is  a picture of a couple of dodgy looking sheep, the gave me the "proper eye"  before trotting off, if sheep trot that is, never really thought about it before. Still they made me smile even if they're looking a little serious.  

Rain what Rain! Silver Wedding Anniversary in the Lakes, Colourful Beetles and Butterflies.

Sitting in the Old Volunteer, Carlton, Sunday afternoon with the wife and decision time, whether to go east to Norfolk, south to Dorset or north west to the lakes for a couple of days to celebrate 25 years of marriage.  Luckily we chose the lakes and two beautiful days weather unlike most of the south and east of the country. Two good days walking, a pub always somewhere on the walk and a few choice insects and birds aplenty, Pied flycatcher, Redstart and a Goosander with nine chicks.  Highlight on the insect front, Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, pretty common in the lakes if you know where to look.  The one photographed was just outside Elterwater, but the walk from Ambleside to Grasmere usually throws a few up.

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillay Nr. Elterwater Cumbria 27th May 2014

Underside View Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Near Elterwater 27th May 2014 

A walk around Loughrigg Tarn and a search for the most brilliantly coloured of British Beetles Plateumaris discolor, its mainstream colour is a nice bronze, but bright green, red, and purple specimens exist.  On this occasion no red were seen but I hope you like the green and purple examples.  They love feeding on Marsh marigold and Yellow Iris pollen.  Real stunners on a fantastic backdrop, only problem with photographing them is where they live, on marshy ground and invariably just out of reach.  

Plateumaris discolor green form, 27th May 2014 Loughrigg Tarn Cumbria. 

Plateumaris discolor A beautiful Blue/Violet form, Loughrigg Cumbria 27th May 2014 

Forma typica, a nice bronze example, Loughrigg Cumbria 27th May 2014. 

Finally, thanks Tina, my long suffering wife for putting up with me for the last 28 years (only 25 married) for my over the top love of insects and all the hours I spend looking at, collecting, pinning, gluing and photographing them. 

Margarinotus purpurescens vs Tipulid larva.

A strange tussle on Budby Heath this afternoon.  Out on one of the paths was this small 3.5 mm Hister beetle, Margarinotus purpurescens.  Not the commonest beetle, but one I have encountered before in animal dung.  This chap was taking on a Crane Fly larva several times its size.  A secure hold was had by the beetle whilst the tipulid larva was flailing around trying to shake it off.  I have to say that I separated the two as I needed the beetle for a correct id. This beetle should usually have a reddish spot on each elytron, but as is often the case it is not too clear on this specimen. 

Beetle and larva, bit of a battle going on. 

Anoplius viaticus and an unlucky spider.

One of the first pictures with new extension tubes, shocking composition but beetle is in decent detail. 

Back on Budby Heath today armed with a new bit of kit, a set of extension tubes for my macro lens. These will allow me to get in closer but also means that I have less depth of field, the lens only has about 2 mm at the best of times and also means I have to get closer to the subject.  Anyhow needed to give them a run-out. First out was a Tiger beetle,  difficult to get close enough to at the best of times, now I'm poking a lens a foot closer they're non too happy.  Couldn't for the life of me get a front on picture.  I then noticed a paralysed spider, this can only mean the spider hunting wasp Anoplius viaticus at this time of year.  They paralyse then go and dig a whole in which to put the spider.  A bit of patience and she returned. However in my excitement I failed to notice that I had removed the Vibration Reduction function on my lens.  Hence a slightly more blurry image than I would have liked.  The extension tubes also meant that at times I was wanting to move further away form the subject but was unable to do so. Finally a picture of a Tiger Beetle larva. I thought these might give some indication of how to use the extension tubes properly as the image was relatively flat, hence I should be able to get it all in focus.  Results are OK.  I need to work on  perfecting their use. 

Anoplius viaticus - forgot the Vibration Reduction function on the lens.  This would have made the image a lot better. 

As above, but not too bad. 

Tiger Beetle larva, a flat object, VR on and an example of the added detail you can get by getting a little closer to the subject.  

Ptinus sexpunctatus an association with Anthophora plumipes?

Ptinus sexpunctatus 14/04/2014 Stoke Weir Notts. 

Decent weather once more here in Nottinghamshire so another annual pilgrimage, this time to see a rather large colony of the Hairy Footed Flower Bee, Anthophora plumipes. These bees are probably the most active bees I know, constantly on the move and very rarely settling for a rest.  The site in question is a clay bank just downstream of Stoke Weir.  Here regular falls of clay leave plenty of bare clay, an ideal substrate in which the Bees can burrow.  Also present were a good number of the Cuckoo Bee Melecta albifrons.  These regularly inspect the holes created by the hairy footed's in the hope of stealing their way in to lay their own eggs in the provisions left by their host.  The highlight was however not the bees but a tiny 3 mm beetle Ptinus sexpunctatus.  I spotted this little chap scuttling across the clay, so a licked finger and a slight press onto its body and the beetle was potted for later identification.  Ptinus sexpunctatum is normally associated with the mining bees of the genus Osmia, and to date I have not been able to find a published reference to its association with Anthophora. It is described in Joy (1932), the bible for British coleopterists, as rare, south east England.   A nice new find for me and a good start to the new season.  Also included are a few other photographs from the day, couple of decent studies of Melecta a photograph of the jumping spider Salticus scenicus and finally guess the animal the teeth are from.

Melecta albifrons Stoke Weir Notts 14th April 2014 

Melecta albifrons 14th april 2014, Stoke Weir 

Melecta albifrons Stoke Weir 14th April 2014 

Salticus scenicus with prey 14th April 2014 Stoke Weir 

Guess the animal? Skull found 14th April 2014

Minotaurs, scary flies and an obliging Nuthatch

Friday 11th April and a day walking at last.  A day out at Sherwood Forest.  The weather looked set fair but with a cool breeze, so I chose a woodland walk as the shelter provided from the wind by trees would definitely make thinks seem pleasant.  First encounter of the day was a rather nice, if rather small Minotaur Beetle, Typhoeus typhaeus.  These beasts are rather common on the heath at Sherwood but being nocturnal are seldom seen. It is however easy to recognise their workings as they build rather large chambers underground, leaving good spoil heaps as signs of their tunnelling.   This chap was just starting to tunnel having found a rather fruity piece of Dog Faeces on which to feed. Undeterred camera out and a couple of photographs taken.   A difficult chap to photograph as macro lenses have very small focal lengths of 1-2 mm, this allied to a moving target makes sharp focus very hit and miss.  Out of about 20 pictures the one shown came out the best. Horns show up nicely though. 

Male Minotaur beetle perambulating on dog Poo. Sherwood Forest 11th April 2014

If you read my last blog I added a snap of my female Bullfinch taken with my Macro lens. Well as it happens I include two further shots, this time of a nuthatch again taken with a totally inappropriate lens. This chap was a rather inquisitive bird and was definitely checking me out as much as I was trying to photograph him (or her).  A beautiful bird with an almost exotic look, reminds me a little of a Kookaburra.

The scary fly of the title is a rather large Tachinid fly, Tachina ursina. Most Tachinids are parasites, laying their eggs on other insects, the larvae then devouring the live host. T. ursina is about 15 mm in length so must require a relatively large host in which the larvae can develop. It is therefore surprising that the Host is described as unknown in Belshaw's key to British Tachinids.  

Tachina ursina   Sherwood Forest 11th April 2014 

To finish this latest ramble, a photograph that to me epitomises spring, A brimstone and Dandelion.  Brimstones provide that splash of unnatural colour in April. That together with the knowledge that they have sat the winter out hibernating and still manage to look so fresh is just awesome. 

Goneopteryx rhamni - Angle wing of the Buckthorn.  Sherwood Forest 11th April 2014 

Budby Heath in the Spring, Bees, and Beetles

Andrena clarkella Budby Heath 16th March 2014 

Last couple of weekends have been reasonable in terms of weather, hence a couple of early in the year trips onto Budby Heath, the only National Nature Reserve here in Nottinghamshire. One of the joys of Budby in the spring is the presence of the solitary bee Andrena clarkella. This is an insect that I often have difficulty in photographing, they have the habit of landing and quickly disappearing into its concealed burrow.  However this obliging female spent a couple of minutes sitting and warming itself on a wooden post.

Oil Beetle, Meloe proscabaeus, Budby Heath 16th March 2014

The main reason for the trip was to look for early season Oil Beetles. I'd had a report this year that they were out in the first week of March this year.  We weren't disappointed either with good numbers perambulating at their usual site and feeding on the grass. It was interesting to note that the males far outnumber the females so far this year, however a healthy number of females were on show this Sunday and already into the swing of mating (see photograph). I must admit that I have great difficulty photographing black beetles, a check on technique and methods for photographing black objects is needed here I think. Finally the Tiger Beetles were also out, though as yet in very small numbers. Still another lovely site this time of the year.   I've had Tiger beetle on the heath every month from March to October. 

Tiger Beetle, Cicindela campestris, Budby Heath 16th March 2014

 

Bonus Day - Beetles Butterflies and Bees

Handkea utriformis - Budby Heath 22nd September 2013

A pretty impressive day for the end of September and one that I hadn't quite expected after the coolness of earlier in the week. I even sneaked the central heating on last weekend under the pretence of making sure all was working well, when really I was being a little nesh (if you're not from the English midlands and further north, nesh means "susceptible to the cold").  However a late season trip to Budby Heath was order of the day. Plenty of insect action, although nothing in great numbers, there was even an Ammophila sabulosa nest digging (see earlier post) and several Spider wasps still active.  Hornets were also buzzing a patch of golden rod looking for flies, they appear never to take a rest and must spend an awful lot of energy whilst hunting.  Turning over a log revealed a couple of Carabus problematicus, whilst I found two dead, but perfect Carabus nemoralis on the path.  

These are now in my reference collection. I never quite understand why I find this species quite regularly, dead or dying on the paths at Sherwood and also at Holme Pierrepont.

Carabus problematicus  - Budby Heath 22nd September 2013 

After the walk a quick pint at the Red Lion Wellow.  Pretty good for butterflies as Comma and Red Admiral were both attracted to ripe plums that had fallen onto a bench. Photographs show one of the Admirals feeding.  

Vanessa atalanta  feeding on Victoria Plum Olde Red Lion, Wellow 22nd September 2013

Striped millipedes, Good looking longhorn beetles, plenty of Blues and a Clearwing.

Striped Millipede - pretty common, one of the UK's largest, Home Pierrpeont Notts. 29th July 2013

I've been out and about Holme Pierrepont the last couple of days. Pretty hot if you can dodge the showers.  Plenty out and about, nothing too rare but Insects appear to be in good numbers. I've been particularly happy with butterfly numbers this year,  loads of Peacocks and plenty of freshly emerged Common Blue. I also managed to photograph one of my favourite beetles, Strangalia quadrifasciata.  This time I managed to photograph one egg laying.  They only live on one large decaying willow,  this tree has been rotting away for the best part of six or seven years but it still manages to provide enough sustenance for another years worth of beetles.  

Strangalia quadrifasciata ovipositing, Skylarks NR, Notts 29th July 2013

Six-Belted Clearwings are not a moth I find too often here in Notts, I've swept them on the old colliery spoil heap at Gedling a few years ago and I've now found them down at Holme Pierrepont. Noticed a strange wasp like insect in flight that didn't quite look right for a wasp.  This clearwing is a Batesian mimic, the harmless moth copying a harmful animal in order to offer itself some protection. It didn't fool me.   A beautiful insect non the less.  I couldn't find one posing nicely and when I eventually did, the light was all wrong so I wasn't happy with my shots.  This is where a little background fill flash would come in useful.  Anyone care to lend me £400 for the right set-up?  The last three pictures really make me realise how much I enjoy Summer. How many colours do you want from just three different insects.

One for the connoisseur! Nicrophorus vespilloides

A walk on Budby Heath today. So much for the weather breaking, it was absolutely roasting.  Plenty of insects but not a lot to write home about. However interesting picture of the Sexton Beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides.  I noticed this chap in flight and heading in a purposeful direction.   It landed, and to my disgust I noticed that it had homed in on a nice fresh pile of Dog faeces. Still not to be deterred, camera out, held my breath and took a couple of shots. This beetle is covered in mites its a wonder it can see what its doing. Apart from the poo I think it makes quite an interesting photograph.   And yes, it is eating the faeces. 

Nicrophorus vespilloides - Budby Heath 23rd July 2013. 

I'll now put a nicer picture up to soften the blow of looking at a blog featuring dog poo.  These sawfly larvae were found on Sallow, hence the Sallow sawfly, probably Croesus septentronalis. 

Sawfly larva - Budby Heath 23rd July 2013