Get ready ...

... for the ladybird explosion

Spring fever

Chiffchaffs back singing on the reserve at least since yesterday morning. Today the hover flies were out and you have to watch where you're putting your feet!

Anthocoris nemoralis a new bug for Cullaloe

A common enough species, but not recorded before, apparently.

Nemurella picteti - a new stonefly for Cullaloe

Apparently common and widespread, this is the first for Cullaloe's list, found on the top of the bridge over the burn (="stream" for non-Scots!) - a pretty typical place to find a stonefly. This is the second new stonefly of the year.

Marchantia polymorpha

A liverwort often seen in greenhouses and garden paths, this one is living happily on the edges of the main footpath to the hide

Leuctra hippopus - a stonefly new to the reserve

Swept from beside the burn yesterday

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.