1000 for 1KSQ: TM2499 Shotesham

That time of weekend again so I guess it's time for a quick blog post. It's been a decent week, with a further 30 species added. Lots of things still seem a bit slow - moths in particular - and to me spring feels about 3 weeks late in some respects. I suppose most things will catch up in due course but I suspect that a number of the scarcer spring moths will probably have passed me by. Anyway, I managed to have a short wander each week day and again put in a good few hours over the weekend. Starting to get a bit more selective about what I pot though, trying to be realistic about what I have a decent chance of identifying. For example, I am resolutely ignoring all small flies. I'm sure they're very interesting, but time constraints mean you need to prioritise. Here's the newbies anyway...

Firstly, late entries from last weekend:
327 Hydroporus palustris - some small water beetles in a weedy ditch on the common. Found these rather difficult to key, but they seemed to fit most of the features I was able to check and it's apparently very common. Not gen.det. though.
328 Sap Beetle Glischrochilus hortensis - a couple of these distinctive beetles landed on the table in the beer garden of the pub; nice to be able to name them, as I've come across further examples since. Useful key here.
329 Chrysoperla carnea - green lacewing keyed as well as I could, although not entirely convinced about the wing shape re the pics in Plant (1997).

Monday 15th:
330 House Martin - great to see these back in good time, after the late arrivals of some earlier migrants
331 Ypsolopha mucronella - a distinctive micro-moth that I seem to catch most years, although it looks quite localised in Norfolk.
332 Calathus fuscipes - a medium sized black carabid beetle with notably serrated claws.

Tuesday 16th:
333 Carabus granulatus - fantastic big beetle under a plant pot on top of a willow stump in our drive.

Wednesday 17th:
334 Small Eggar - fantastic to get this for the third year running here - a rare moth, at light at least. Thought I'd missed the chance with the poor spring weather and this seems to be the latest Norfolk spring record.

Thursday 18th:
Nothing new but nice to see flowers on Greater Stitchwort at last.

Friday 19th:
Ditto Garlic Mustard now in flower.
335 Bembidion tetracolum - a small carabid beetle near the moth-trap (another found following day).

Saturday 20th:
336 Whitethroat - singing early morning
337 Blackthorn - just realised I hadn't yet written this down!
338 Curled Pondweed - photographed distinctive water plant in ditch - thanks to John Martin for help!
339 Cheilosia vernalis - a small black hoverfly, lifer for me.
340 Bembidion quadrimaculatum - another small carabid
341 Hop - starting to grow in my front hedge
342 Liocoris tripustulatus - keyed out this distinctive bug found whilst pulling out nettles from the garden
343 Glow-worm - a larva found under a log on the common; nice surprise, although I've noted a few adults here in previous years.
344 Sticky Mouse-ear - almost in flower
345 Spear Thistle - leaves only
346 Sweet Vernal Grass - flower heads appearing
347 Ragwort - leaves only
348 Brindled Beauty - in trap despite temperature dropping below freezing!

Sunday 21st:
349 Lesser Whitethroat - singing early morning (and now three Whitethroats)
350 Bombus hypnorum - queen Tree Bumblebee nectaring in garden
351 Broad-leaved Dock - rather belated addition!
352 Bombus hortorum - queen in garden
353 Eupeodes corollae - hoverfly in garden
354 Phyllonorycter rajella - a surprise find, netting an adult - I normally only record this as mines
355 Amara familiaris - yet another carabid keying epic, but pretty confident with it in the end.
356 Brown House-moth - a couple in the house this evening, seems a bit of a late appearance.