Pussy Willow

The large willow in the car par has been providing lots of entertainment with its profusion of catkins in flower. During the day the hum of honey bees is pretty loud. Maybe someone close has a hive. Bombus terrstris and Andrena Clarkella are the only other bees I've seen at it so far. The golden dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria is also a big fan as well as pollen beetles as-yet-unidentified.

Two species of Egle - anthomyid flies, or flower flies - have been caught so far = E.ciliata and E.minuta.

Last night, though, it was the turn of the nocturnal visitors...

Dotted Border

Common Quaker

Mottled Grey

Hebrew Character

Rhigognostis incarnatella

Even at only 5 degrees it was pretty busy, with the Rhigognostis incarnatella (Scothc Smudge) being new to the reserve and only added to the county list in 2016.

Cullaloe weekend highlghts

A few things from around the reserve this weekend

Acompocoris alpinus

Marsh Slug (to be confirmed)

Great Diving Beetle

Serpula lacrymans

Lasiosphaeria strigosa

Bertia moriformis

Bertia moriformis

Protapion trifolii - a clover weevil

Common Bladder Snail

Good day, sunshine

Amazing 15 degrees at lunchtime

Hungry Salticus scenicus

Nibbled Small Tortoiseshell

1000s of these around in the grasses. 10 on the fence

Moths

Overnight actinic 21/02/2019

Satellite (1)
Dotted Border (3)
Pale Brindled Beauty (3)
Mottled Grey (1)
Chestnut (13)

Segestria senoculata - Snake-backed Spider

Has been previously recorded at Cullaloe but first time I've seen it there (I think!)

Gribbit

Second amphibian of the year with one more known to go (Palmate Newt)

Tree Bumblebee new to Cullaloe

Not exactly the first bumblebee I was expecting, but there you are. First hoverfly too, though I failed to catch it. The wooden fence was covered in 7-spot ladybirds (well, 7 anyway)

(under) water world

With an hour or so free I decided it was time to see what's underneath the water. Not expecting much at this time of year I did at least expect to add water slaters, which I duly did after a fair bit of scooping. These are new to the reserve but it can only be for want of looking.

Some more inevitables (Skylark, Thrush, Trichocera regelationis etc.) added and the third worm of the year plus a nice bonus of a new flea beetle from sweeping stream-side grasses.

Total for the year moves to 428, with a hope of being a good way past 500 come the end of the month. willow catkins are out and daffs are swelling, so looking forward to the upcoming explosion of invertebrate activity!

Cold day. Sky was blue, but too bright to show here!

Mating pair of water slaters

Great Pond Snail

Stenus pubescens in last year's Typha leaves

Confirmation a bonus!

Numbers:

411			R	M	coleoptera	Phratora vitellinae	A leaf beetle
412					Lichen	Cladonia arbuscula	A lichen
413					Fungus	Alatospora acuminata	aquatic hyphomycete
414					Fungus	Dactylella aquatica	aquatic hyphomycete
415					moss	Racomitrium aciculare	Yellow Fringe-moss
416					Lichen	Lecidella scabra	A lichen
417					Lichen	Rhizocarpon geographicum	A lichen
418					bird	Alauda arvensis	Skylark
419					bird	Turdus philomelos	Song Thrush
420					flowering plant	Cardamine hirsuta	Hairy Bitter-cress
421					mollusc	Lymnaea stagnalis	Great Pond Snail
422			R		crustacean	Asellus aquaticus	Water Slater
423			R	M	annelid	Aporrectodea longa	Long Worm
424					diptera	Trichocera regelationis	A Winter Gnat
425			R		coleoptera	Stenus pubescens	A Rove Beetle
426			R	M	coleoptera	Chaetocnema concinna	A flea beetle
427					bird	Larus ridibundus	Black-headed Gull
428					bird	Larus canus	Common Gull