14th July

A long morning spent on the reserve produced a good handful of new records and nice repeats

Agapeta hamana, Common Yellow Conch

Mompha locupletella

Bovista plumbea, Grey Puffball

Fairy Flax

Cinnabar caterpillars (finally!)

Agriphila straminella

Phragmidium rosae-pimpinellifoliae on Burnet Rose

Bugs

A few bugs around in all the luscious greenery at Cullaloe

These four are a set swept from grass and path verges:
Grypocorus stysi
Leptopterna dolabrata

Leptopterna ferrugata

Plagiognathus chrysanthemi

Despite the apparent hugeness in the photos the Plagiognathus is actually half the size of the others

Linyphiid Key

https://www.fscbiodiversity.uk/fullscreen/liny

Based on Big Roberts, an interactive key to narrowing down Linyphiid candidates

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.