Bonus hoverfly - Rhingia campestris

One of the most visible flies on the reserve so far this year, the distinctive hoverfly Rhingia campestris. I've seen it on almost every flowering plant so far, with this one coming from Red Campion

Moths and plants

Had a nice quick session at the moths last night: Common Wave, Water Carpet, first Silver-ground Carpet, a pug and a micro. This morning on a cold start I wasn't expecting much but managed to round out some of the early plants in the "expected" category.

Total stands at 432 for the year, so still about 50 ahead of last year's totals for the same date

Bush Vetch

Hogweed

Broad-leaved Dock

 

Cut-leaved Crane's-bill

Redshank

Wood Avens

Aspen

Cranefly Pedicia rivosa

Found on the spillway horsetails this cracking big cranefly was identified via Dipterists Forum

Weekend Orange tip

Moth night - 23rd May

A good night for mothing with cloud covering after a sunny day and keeping the air warmish. We ran four traps- three MV Robinsons and a heath trap. A couple of new species for the reserve and one for me.

Brown Silver-lines were abundant

Yellow-barred brindle from Holly flowers

Flame Shoulder at the filter beds

Small Phoenix at the filter beds

 

Clouded Silver

One of two Lunar Thorns

A nice one - Elephant Hawk Moth

Common White Wave

Baccha at-long-last elongata

After finding my first at Carlingnose I went looking for this in woodland today and came up triumphant. Once I got my eye I found a few in amongst the low vegetation. Not the best picture, but it will do for me and I let the fly go. Hoverfly species 47 for Cullaloe

Guest slot - Mossmorran

So I have been poking around a bit in the heather at Mossmorran, just outside of the picturesque hamlet of  Cowdenbeath, and some nice heather specialists have popped up. Hopefully there will be at least one more in the form of a county first moth I plan to look for!

Heather Beetle (similar Willow Beetle also present in abundance)

Heather specialist Clubiona trivialis

The "biggie" so far - Emperor moth

Subtle flowers

Some flowers are more subtle than others...

Crosswort

Alchemilla - Ladies Mantle

Common Sedge

Common Sedge

CommonSedge

Common Sedge

Cuckooflower

Another favourite popping up all over the place is Cuckooflower. Expect Adela rufimitrella to follow shortly

Saints alive!

So St.Mark's flies also all over the place at the  moment

St.Mark's Day - 25th April
St.George's Day - 23rd April

Interesting. I wonder at what latitude the correct days were 'observed'. Could well have been pretty close in the London area maybe

St.George's Mushroom

No respecter of calendars this one popped up beside the path sometime recently - maybe even last night. Fleshy white mushroom with a strong mealy smell. I may eat one of them one of these days, but I'm not really a forager.Maybe a spore print first anyway ...

New species list

New species continue to trickle onto the reserve list along with the regulars and repeats. Fungi did well early on but now with the warmer weather flies and moths are starting to pick up the pace

	Preferred Name	Common Name	Date
1	Coleroa robertiani	A fungus on G.robertanium	01/01/2015
2	Geranium pyrenaicum	Hedgerow Crane's-bill	01/01/2015
3	Exidia glandulosa	Witches' Butter	03/01/2015
4	Phlebia radiata	Wrinkled Crust	03/01/2015
5	Phlebiella pseudotsugae	A corticioid fungus	03/01/2015
6	Plicatura crispa	A fungus	03/01/2015
7	Schizopora paradoxa	Split Porecrust	03/01/2015
8	Polyporus leptocephalus	Blackfoot Polypore	04/01/2015
9	Hyphodontia pallidula	A corticioid fungus	07/01/2015
10	Cladonia coniocraea	A lichen	10/01/2015
11	Peniophora nuda	A corticioid fungus	10/01/2015
12	Teucrium scorodonia	Wood Sage	14/01/2015
13	Septoria arundinacea	A fungus on Phragmites	16/01/2015
14	Eichleriella deglubens	A corticioid fungus	17/01/2015
15	Mercurialis perennis	Dog's Mercury	17/01/2015
16	Primula veris	Cowslip	17/01/2015
17	Glechoma hederacea	Ground-ivy	23/01/2015
18	Pleuridium acuminatum	Taper-leaved Earth-moss	23/01/2015
19	Sistotrema oblongisporum	A corticioid fungus	23/01/2015
20	Tortula truncata	Common Pottia	23/01/2015
21	Gloeocystidiellum porosum	A corticioid fungus	24/01/2015
22	Marchantia polymorpha	A liverwort	24/01/2015
23	Parmelia sulcata	A lichen	29/01/2015
24	Lunularia cruciata	Crescent-cup Liverwort	04/02/2015
25	Trichocera regelationis	A Winter Gnat	04/02/2015
26	Oulema melanopus s.l.	Cereal Leaf Beetle	13/02/2015
27	Leptocera fontinalis	A lesser dungfly	06/03/2015
28	Orchesella cincta	A springtail	09/03/2015
29	Hyaloscypha fuckelii	An ascomycete fungus	10/03/2015
30	Jaapia argillacea	A corticioid fungus	10/03/2015
31	Sialis lutaria	An alderfly	10/03/2015
32	Neobisium carcinoides	Common Neobisid	11/03/2015
33	Copromyza stercoraria	A lesser dung fly	13/03/2015
34	Diplocephalus latifrons	A Lyniphiid spider	16/03/2015
35	Walckenaeria nudipalpis	A Lyniphiid spider	16/03/2015
36	Paradromius linearis	A ground beetle	19/03/2015
37	Exapion (Ulapion) ulicis	Gorse Weevil	20/03/2015
38	Micrambe ulicis	A beetle	20/03/2015
39	Stenocranus minutus	A plant hopper	20/03/2015
40	Platybunus triangularis	A harvestman	25/03/2015
41	Tachina ursina	A Tachinid fly	25/03/2015
42	Lissotriton helveticus	Palmate Newt	27/03/2015
43	Tenuiphantes cristatus	A Linyphiid spider	28/03/2015
44	Halyzia sedecimguttata	Orange Ladybird	01/04/2015
45	Larinioides cornutus	An orb-weaver spider	03/04/2015
46	Crumomyia fimetaria	A Lesser Dungfly	03/04/2015
47	Agonopterix ocellana	Red-letter Flat-body	04/04/2015
48	Trametes ochracea	A fungus	07/04/2015
49	Adalia decempunctata	10-spot Ladybird	08/04/2015
50	Bombylius major	Bee Fly	10/04/2015
51	Rhamphomyia subcinerascens	An Empid fly	10/04/2015
52	Berytinus (Berytinus) minor	A Stilt Bug	10/04/2015
53	Diurnea fagella	March Tubic	12/04/2015
54	Neriene peltata	A Linyphiid spider	14/04/2015
55	Xylocampa areola	Early Grey	23/04/2015
56	Anticlea badiata	Shoulder Stripe	23/04/2015
57	Dilophus febrilis	Fever Fly	04/05/2015
58	Incurvaria masculella	Feathered Bright	07/05/2015
59	Gymnocheta viridis	A Tachinid fly	07/05/2015

Carlingnose

A brief trip off-piste to Carlingnose at lunchtime found a nice showing of spring flowers as well as hoverfly Baccha elongata.

Top: Red Dead-nettle, Greater Stitchwort, Lesser Celandine, Field Woodruch
Bottom: White D-N, Shining Cranesbill, Garlic Mustard , Cowslip

Sounds of summer

In the car park this morning I was looking for flies in the cross-talk of Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler and Whitethorat. The first Cuckooflower is up and Bugle is emerging on the embankment. One micromoth captured and one metallic green fly with lots of bristles which I am hoping is a Tachinid.