Diary 3rd-9th April

Well, the beginning of April passed in a blur mostly caused by rain. A few species were added, with a couple of them hard won - a Conocybe which required keying, microscope photography and expert advice, and a spider which required ... the same, but from a different expert! The evening of the 4th and 5th did prove to be mild but I was otherwise engaged during the day and had a nice mothing session in the evenings at home. Soon the moth-trap will be out on the road at Cullaloe though - maybe this week.

238	Conocybe aporos		03/04/2014
239	Cardamine flexuosa	Wavy bittercress	04/04/2014
240	Metellina mengei	An orb spider	05/04/2014

8th April
Finally the rain broke to allow a daytime visit worthy of the name. Some nice flowers emerging yet to be ID'd, a Peacock butterfly, and a hoverfly on the path that evaded capture and identification. I did snag a beetle though which I'm hoping to be able to key out myself. Let's see. I have an expert in mind just in case though! Bizarrely I was for the first time in a long time out and about without my camera. Long lens left at home on purpose, compact left at home by accident, and even my mobile phone had been left hidden under a piece of documentation on my desk - disaster! I'll try not to let that happen again.

I have managed to hit 40% of target fungi and 30% of target non-lepidopteran inverts, which I think is pretty good going for early April.

9th April
Yesterday's flowers confirmed as Wood Anemone, which I suspected they were, and a pair of Shelduck prospecting this morning before the rain started to come down. Last night spent about an hour in the car park with the moth trap. Everything worked fine, although no moths recorded this time out. A lunchtime visit saw the emergence of Field Horsetail on the banking beside the Anemones, as well as a missed couple of opportunities - a beautiful shiny beetle and a spider that was too quick for me. I also found a small pool next to the old car park (now planted with trees) which was surrounded with Lesser Celandine.

241	Anemone nemorosa	Wood Anemone	08/04/2014
242	Tadorna tadorna	Common Shelduck	09/04/2014
243	Equisetum arvense	Field Horsetail	09/04/2014