Small Heath

Not one that's noticed too much and then only in passing, compared to the Peacock, Comma and Red Admiral and even butterflies of similar size such as the Small copper and Common blue the small heath can hardly be described as a classic beauty.  However I hope this photograph just shows how stunning a little beast it really is.  Earlier in this series of blogs I photographed the Dingy Skipper.  Getting up close to this little butterfly certainly changed my view on this our supposedly drabbest of butterflies.  Now I have to say that the Small Heath is up there with the Skipper.  Far more subtle in colour than many of of our more popular species. 

Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus, Budby Heath 29th July 2014

Philanthus triangulum, the Beewolf.

Philanthus trianglum - Budby 28/07/14

No apologies for more images of this little beast, one of my favourite wasps, the Beewolf.  Same place as last year, Budby Heath. Only saw the one male which was far from camera shy staying in the same area, hovering a little and then settling on blades of grass. Not a lot happening on the heath today, a few Colletes Bees waiting for the heather to flower, a few Epeolus cuckoo bees.  Day finished poorly as I managed to lose a piece of the the net I use to catch and examine the odd specimen. No big deal really, but I've had that net for over 35 years and I don't much fancy a new one, it just wouldn't feel the same. I retraced my steps several times but didn't manage to find the missing bit.  Never mind its my birthday on Saturday, might treat myself to a new one, even though I had my eyes on the latest and just published RES handbook on Vespoid wasps. I'll probably get both if I'm honest.  

Beewolf, habitas photograph, Budby Heath July 2014 

Beewolf, spent most of its time flitting from one grass stem to another. 

And another habitas photograph of the Beewolf. 

Purple Hairstreak

Stumbled upon a rather obliging Purple Hairstreak. Favonia quercus, in Cotgrave Forest on Saturday. Hope you like the pictures.  Also saw White letter Hairstreak but too high in the trees for a good photograph. 

Purple Hairstreak - Cotgrave Forest 12/07/2014

Purple Hairstreak Cotgrave Forest 12/07/2014

Hoveringham, Black Tailed Skimmers and one of the UK's most beautiful Hoverflies.

Black Tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum, Hoveringham 06/07/2014

I haven't been out and about much of late, other commitments and watching my son play a bit of cricket,  two hundreds and a fifty in the 3 innings prior to me going to watch him, managed to get himself out first ball when I'm there to watch.  He is now in Sri Lanka hopefully seeing some wonderful wildlife and avoiding Dengue fever.  Weather forecast for Sunday wasn't to promising but the afternoon shaped up really nicely, good sunny spells with some warmth in the air.  A walk down to Hoveringham and the flooded gravel pits.  Plenty of dragonflies about most being Black Tailed Skimmers, not a dragonfly I find too often around here but really common in and around the stream that skirts the pits.   I also found what I consider to be the most beautiful of British flies Chrysotoxum festivum.  I have these in the garden every year but they always seem to settle just out of camera reach.  

Chrysotoxum festivum, Hoveringham 6th July 2014

Black Tailed Skimmer - Hoveringham Nottinghamshire 6th July 2014 

Roesel's Bush Cricket

Another trip up on the old colliery spoil heap at Gedling on Wednesday evening.  This was the final visit with my son who is doing an invertebrate survey prior to the site opening as a country park.  To date we have found over 140 species of beetle with two new to the county.  Several species of odonata and a couple of species of cricket. Photographed are Roesel's Bush Cricket.  There is a good healthy population up on the site, favouring the sunny south facing banks where they hang around in the long grass.  The photographs show immature specimens about 7-8 mm in length. By the end of the year they will be a lot bigger and probably more photogenic.  However much we moan about our warming climate, I for one like the spread of these exotic insects further north in the last decade. 

Roesel's Bush Cricket -Gedlng Colliery 12th June 2014

Roesel's Bush Cricket -Gedlng Colliery 12th June 2014

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.  

First Leafcutters of the Year

I get the feeling that these Leafcutter Bees are a little earlier than last year here in a dull Nottinghamshire. I heard a bit of nibbling inside the hole a few days ago so kept an eye on when they might take flight.  Well the morning of the 31st May was maiden flight day.  Three bees left the same hole within the space of about 20 minutes.  What surprised me was the fact that the day doesn't seem that great, no sunshine when they took to flight, but reasonably warm.  Here's a couple of pics of them surveying the world prior to flight.

LEafcutter Bee, Carlton Nottinghamshire, 31st May 2014 - It's first look at the outside world.