Monday, May 27, 2013

SP5595ish : Quality - it's all relative

I guess the one thing that I should have expected when starting this venture was the unexpected ... I've already found a load of stuff that I would never have imagined occurred so close to home. When some of these start to have local significance, then that's just brilliant. Like this one for example ....

Spotted Medick

I am sure this is dirt common for a lot of you out there, but here in VC55 it is a scarce plant to say the least with records from less than 10 sites. So finding it within a couple of 100 meters from home was completely unexpected.

Small Yellow Underwing

Not an uncommon moth, but here in VC55 it's one you'd expect to find in nice open flowery meadows - not on a scruffy verge alongside a busy A road. Well pleased with this one.

Corizus hyoscyami

I found this in the county last year, not too far away but at the time it was very rare and possibly just colonizing the county. So again, very pleased indeed to find this in my square.

And with a few more new for me ticks along the way, this challenge is turning out to be a brilliant for my PSL list. It's not all good though - the moth traps are dormant with cool overnight temps and the weather is turning again. I've recorded less than 100 moth species in the whole square so far, and even that includes larval records (including another one today). I should be well over 100 just from garden moth trapping by now.

Here's my latest additions, now up to 533:

Taxon Vernacular Date Added
533 Aphelia paleana Timothy Tortrix [larval] 27/05/2013
532 Oxalis corniculata Procumbent Yellow-sorrel 26/05/2013
531 Sisymbrium officinale Hedge Mustard 26/05/2013
530 Euproctis similis Yellow-tail [larval] 26/05/2013
529 Allophyes oxyacanthae Green-brindled Crescent [larval] 26/05/2013
528 Empis tessellata (fly) 26/05/2013
527 Corizus hyoscyami (bug) 26/05/2013
526 Athous haemorrhoidalis (beetle) 26/05/2013
525 Cantharis decipiens (beetle) 26/05/2013
524 Panemeria tenebrata Small Yellow Underwing 26/05/2013
523 Puccinia punctiformis Creeping Thistle Rust 26/05/2013
522 Pieris napi Green-veined White 26/05/2013
521 Mesembrina meridiana (fly) 26/05/2013
520 Geranium robertianum Herb-Robert 26/05/2013
518 Tipula fascipennis (fly) 26/05/2013
518 Leucozona lucorum (hoverfly) 26/05/2013
517 Enallagma cyathigerum Common Blue Damselfly 26/05/2013
516 Entomophthora muscae (fungi) 26/05/2013
515 Trifolium pratense Red Clover 26/05/2013
514 Phragmatobia fuliginosa Ruby Tiger 26/05/2013
513 Erysimum cheiranthoides Treacle-mustard 26/05/2013
512 Coreus marginatus Dock Bug 26/05/2013
511 Grammoptera ruficornis (beetle) 26/05/2013
510 Sphaeridium scarabaeoides (beetle) 26/05/2013
509 Medicago arabica Spotted Medick 26/05/2013
508 Veronica arvensis Wall Speedwell 26/05/2013
507 Hedya nubiferana Marbled Orchard Tortrix 26/05/2013
506 Glyphipterix simpliciella Cocksfoot Moth 25/05/2013
505 Psila fimetaria (fly) 25/05/2013
504 Cantharis livida (beetle) 25/05/2013
503 Pararge aegeria Speckled Wood 25/05/2013

And here's a breakdown of the overall list, and the insects:


By the way, when you are checking hawthorn blossom you might find something like this ...

Hawthorn hole mystery

In which case, look for something like this nearby or even underneath the flower ...
 
Hawthorn hole mystery solved

3 comments:

  1. Hi Mark

    So what is the Hawthorn hole mystery beast? I must go out looking for some in Suffolk.

    I have also found Spotted Medick in my square, not sure how common it is here either, so need to find out.

    I am learning a lot by reading all the posts so thanks to all.

    Marilyn

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  2. It's a micromoth larval case Marilyn, one of the Coleophora spp. Haven't had a chance to scrutinise the case as yet, but I think it's either coracacipennella or spinella.

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  3. Yes the Spotted Medick is indeed dirt common with me, but I've love to get Small Yellow Underwing and I'd be delighted to find one of those crazy bugs!

    It's great seeing how so many species (not surprisingly) are appearing on different lists simultaneously - just added Cantharis livida and Ruby Tiger here too.

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