Scorchio!!

It''s been a really hot last few days and I love it.

I've had the moth trap out a few times with species counts all between 55-65

The first night was the best night  but all the sessions have produced a few new moths for the year and a Lacewing at last.

702.  Notocelia uddmanniana (Bramble-shoot Moth)   
703.  Hypena proboscidalis (Snout) 
704.  Epirrhoe alternata (Common Carpet)    
705.  Herminia tarsipennalis (Fan-foot)  
706.  Habrosyne pyritoides (Buff Arches)    
707.  Myelois circumvoluta (Thistle Ermine)   
708.  Acronicta psi (Grey Dagger)   
709.  Eupithecia innotata f. fraxinata (Ash Pug)  
710.  Alcis repandata (Mottled Beauty)   
711.  Achroia grisella (Lesser Wax Moth)     
712.  Apamea unanimis (Small Clouded Brindle)    
713.  Korscheltellus fusconebulosa (Map-winged Swift) 
714.  Eudonia mercurella (a moth)   
715.  Mythimna ferrago (Clay)   
716.  Eupoecilia angustana (a moth)    
717.  Pseudargyrotoza conwagana (a moth) 
718.  Ecliptopera silaceata (Small Phoenix)    
719.  Metzneria metzneriella (a moth)    
720.  Elachista argentella (a moth)    
721.  Chrysoperla carnea (Green Lacewing)


The Lesser Wax Moth was new for the garden - a good record.  It's been good for Hawk-moths these past nights too with up to three species per night.

Achroia grisella (Lesser Wax Moth)     - New for the garden

Hawk Moth Squadron - Elephant, Lime and Small Elephant

Yesterday I had a walk along the riverside at Chester-le-Street Riverside Park. With it being so hot it was very busy and difficult to find a quiet spot.  There were a lot of Calopteryx splendens (Banded Demoiselle) however. I counted at least 25 from the A1 bridge, along the river Wear for 1km towards the Lumley bridge. There a little patch of Rorippa sylvestris (Creeping Yellow-cress), a unassuming little crucifer,  that is almost exactly 1 km from the A1 bridge as the naturalist walks and it's rare to see them beyond this.



 

Banded Demoiselle

Banded Demoiselle from a different angle

Today was another scorcher and was definately a butterfly day with a count on my hour's walk of 1 Dingy Skipper, 3 Large Skipper, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Meadow Brown, 4 Ringlet, 7 Large White, 2 Small White, 12 Speckled Wood, 1 Wall and 3 Common Blue. 

722.  Vanessa atalanta (Red Admiral) 
723. Maniola jurtina (Meadow Brown)

Not a great deal else so I popped back home.  Lazing around on the bench a bright blue thing fluttered by, landed briefly in a rose bush, then fluttered against the fence before flying off. A Banded Demoiselle, a first not only for the garden but for the patch as well. I know I saw some good numbers yesterday but I promise I did not bring any home.

724. Calopteryx splendens (Banded Demoiselle)    

That got me out of my seat and spent a good while looking for and watching insects around the plants. There's a Tree Bumblebee nest in a bird nestbox that hadn't been used for years (except as an occassional roost for a few Wrens). However I found a second nest which accounts for the big numbers of them in teh garden this year.  The oven hob has an overhead extractor and their is a gap on the outside wall where it's attacghed to. They are enering there and presumably using the cavity wall to nest in.

There were a few Grypocoris stysi, a smart little bug around which were new and I potted up a couple of a swarm of Yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus sp.). They were put in the fridge and I've just checked them and keyed them out under the  microscope.  They are  Hylaeus communis , the Common Yellow Face Bee.

725.  Grypocoris stysi  
726. Hylaeus communis  (Common Yellow Face Bee).