Green Speed Fieldwell

At the edge of the path, both in flower and (helpfully) with seed pods. Seed pod shapes fr Veronicas are featured in field guides. or at least in Rose, as an aid to identification

Hoverfly Anasimyia contracta

I've found one or two mostly around the spillway but this one was further along the path

Common Figwort and Common Wintergreen

First time I've seen it on the reserve, though someone else has since it's on the list

Also some nice Common Wintergreen beside the ditches in the woods. Terrible picture, though

Welsh Poppy

A naturalised plant of rough ground, at the edge of car parks and the like, but in this case a few showing up along the water channel that goes under the road adjacent to the reserve. This little-visited corner of the reserve is very different to the rest, with a forest of ferns, Wood Sorrell and Great Woodrush. It also has Greater Stitchwort and Gooseberry.

Welsh Poppy is the 317th species of vascular plant on the reserve list.

Pine Ladybird

Clamped onto a tree trunk in the rain the other day, this Pine Ladybird was new to the reserve list.

Carrion beetles

Mmmmm, tasty. Nothing like a bit of rotten fish to get the juices flowing - in this case about 1cm cubed of 3 week old cod hung over a pitfall trap

2 Nicrophorus vespilloides

6 Oiceoptoma thoracicum 1 Pterostichus niger

Big cranes!

One of a threesome of big crane flies, this Pedicia rivosa was found in a moth trap on the morning of the 2nd. On the evening before both Tipula maxima and Tipula fulvipennis were found so that's a serious combined wingspan for a trio of flies!