Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire

I reckon we must have reached 1,000 by now, collectively between all the 1k'ers. Difficult to work out our joint total without pooling all our records into a single database but that's my guess.

Since my last update on 4th May, the only recording I've done in the square has been in my garden. But I've added 51 species including 4 ticks, putting my total on 369. This is what I love about this challenge - discovering new wildlife right on my doorstep!

You've got to wonder whether it's really necessary to look at a whole 1km square in order to find 1,000 species. Jennifer Owen identified 2,673 species from her suburban garden in Leicester, though it took her 30 years to do so. She could probably have got nearer 6,000 with more effort on invertebrates: only 442 beetles (1,000 should be possible) and a paltry 145 flies (again 1,000 should be possible). 282 macro-moths - could do better?

My recent highlights:
Philonthus jurgans, a rove-beetle. A male (dissected) from the compost heap. Tick.
Melampsora euphorbiae rust on Petty Spurge. ID from bioimages. Tick.
Heterothops praevius, a rove-beetle. A male found in one of my gardening boots at the end of the day just as I was about to put it back on. Tick. This is a species of rodent nests and badger setts and it is tempting to suggest that it sniffed out my old boot and dived in, thinking it had found a burrow.
Amblyptilia acanthadactyla Beautiful Plume. Spotted at rest on a Honeysuckle leaf (while searching for leaf-miners!). Tick. Hedge Woundwort grows just below the Honeysuckle.

Beautiful Plume

Two more plants:
Alchemilla glabra, self-sown on the drive.
Wall Lettuce.

Several new moths in the trap from two sessions:
Waved Umber
Herald
Common Plume
Double-striped Pug
Brindled Pug
Swallow Prominent
V-Pug
Yellow-barred Brindle
Red Twin-spot Carpet - not dissected
Scalloped Hazel
Powdered Quaker

Swallow Prominent

One new butterfly:
Orange-tip

A distinctive fly:
Bibio marci St Mark's Fly

I thought I might be able to identify a 'greenbottle' but failed. Chris Raper reckons it's probably a Lucilia (Calliphoridae). I'd also considered Gymnocheta viridis (Tachinidae) but that would be more bristly and less fat-bodied apparently. Neomyia (Muscidae) were also considered. I only have photos, no specimen.

A couple of bugs:
Anthocoris nemorum
Heterogaster urticae


A distinctive spider:
Harpactea hombergi

A snail:
Cochlicopa lubrica

The last of the true bumblebees:
Bombus hortorum. Should be able to add 1 or 2 cuckoo Bombus (former members of Psithyrus) as well.

I can't face typing out a list of all the new beetles but here's my beetle list for the square to date:

Family	Species (scientific name)	Species (English name)	Conservation Status
Carabidae	Leistus spinibarbis		None
Carabidae	Notiophilus biguttatus		None
Carabidae	Loricera pilicornis		None
Carabidae	Trechus quadristriatus		None
Carabidae	Bembidion biguttatum		None
Carabidae	Bembidion lunulatum		None
Carabidae	Pterostichus madidus		None
Carabidae	Amara aenea		None
Carabidae	Amara convexior		None
Carabidae	Amara familiaris		None
Carabidae	Harpalus affinis		None
Carabidae	Badister bullatus		None
Carabidae	Demetrias atricapillus		None
Carabidae	Syntomus foveatus		None
Helophoridae	Helophorus brevipalpis		None
Hydrophilidae	Sphaeridium marginatum		None
Hydrophilidae	Cercyon haemorrhoidalis		None
Hydrophilidae	Cercyon obsoletus		Nationally Scarce
Hydrophilidae	Cercyon quisquilius		None
Hydrophilidae	Cercyon analis		None
Hydrophilidae	Cryptopleurum minutum		None
Histeridae	Carcinops pumilio		None
Histeridae	Margarinotus merdarius		None
Ptiliidae	Ptenidium pusillum		None
Leiodidae	Leiodes rufipennis		None
Staphylinidae	Scydmaenus rufus		RDB2
Silphidae	Nicrophorus humator		None
Staphylinidae	Proteinus ovalis		None
Staphylinidae	Euplectus kirbii		Nationally Scarce
Staphylinidae	Tachyporus chrysomelinus		None
Staphylinidae	Tachyporus dispar		None
Staphylinidae	Tachyporus hypnorum		None
Staphylinidae	Tachyporus nitidulus		None
Staphylinidae	Tachyporus obtusus		None
Staphylinidae	Tachinus rufipes		None
Staphylinidae	Tachinus subterraneus		None
Staphylinidae	Alaobia trinotata		None
Staphylinidae	Philhygra volans		None
Staphylinidae	Mocyta fungi		None
Staphylinidae	Atheta crassicornis		None
Staphylinidae	Atheta harwoodi		None
Staphylinidae	Mycetota laticollis		None
Staphylinidae	Dimetrota atramentaria		None
Staphylinidae	Chaetida longicornis		None
Staphylinidae	Acrotona aterrima		None
Staphylinidae	Acrotona parvula		None
Staphylinidae	Aleochara lanuginosa		None
Staphylinidae	Rugilus orbiculatus		None
Staphylinidae	Sunius melanocephalus		Nationally Scarce
Staphylinidae	Lobrathium multipunctum		None
Staphylinidae	Philonthus albipes		None
Staphylinidae	Philonthus cognatus		None
Staphylinidae	Philonthus concinnus		None
Staphylinidae	Philonthus jurgans		None
Staphylinidae	Philonthus marginatus		None
Staphylinidae	Philonthus tenuicornis		None
Staphylinidae	Bisnius fimetarius		None
Staphylinidae	Heterothops praevius		None
Staphylinidae	Quedius mesomelinus		None
Staphylinidae	Quedius curtipennis		None
Staphylinidae	Gyrohypnus fracticornis		None
Staphylinidae	Xantholinus linearis		None
Staphylinidae	Xantholinus longiventris		None
Trogidae	Trox scaber		None
Byrrhidae	Byrrhus pilula	Pill Beetle	None
Elateridae	Agriotes obscurus		None
Monotomidae	Monotoma bicolor		None
Cryptophagidae	Atomaria lewisi		None
Cryptophagidae	Atomaria nitidula		None
Coccinellidae	Propylea quattuordecimpunctata	14-spot Ladybird	None
Coccinellidae	Coccinella septempunctata	7-spot Ladybird	None
Corylophidae	Sericoderus brevicornis		None
Latridiidae	Dienerella vincenti		None
Latridiidae	Latridius minutus		None
Latridiidae	Cartodere nodifer		None
Latridiidae	Cortinicara gibbosa		None
Anthicidae	Anthicus antherinus		None
Scraptiidae	Anaspis maculata		None
Chrysomelidae	Chaetocnema concinna		None
Apionidae	Protapion fulvipes	White Clover Seed Weevil	None
Curculionidae	Otiorhynchus sulcatus	Vine Weevil	None
Curculionidae	Hypera postica	Clover Leaf Weevil	None
Curculionidae	Trichosirocalus troglodytes		None

Euplectus kirbii and Dieneralla vincenti in my compost heap were both surprises. They are saproxylic species, more likely to be found by looking at dead wood habitats in ancient parklands and woodlands. I can only think that I've introduced them to the garden with material that I've brought home from fieldwork.