Sand Point VC6

Been making some progress with the grasses since my last post. I had the one I was stuck on identified via ispot and reverse keyed it. Turns out that a needle like leaf is a rolled one and to measure it you don't roll it out. It probably says in the book somewhere about this but I generally head straight for the keys when a book comes through the letter box. I still think Poland and Clement Vegetative Key to the British Flora is better than all the other books on grasses I have.

Soft-brome Grass

Beetles next and with no carcasses to stake out I've been reduced to checking dog poo which gave me a rather nice Ontholestes murinus. I watched for quite some time hiding on the side of the poo and twice very successfully catch two flies. At the same poo I found Demetrias atricapillus. This one gave me terrible problems to ID mainly down to the fact that it has lobed hind tarsi so it won't key to carabidae in D.M.Unwins Families of British Beetles. Another one to thank Ispot for.

Demetrias atricapillus

Ontholestes murinus

Moths are starting to kick off but yet to run the trap so no big jump for this group yet. By day I've found Phyllonorycter stettinensis, Pammene rhediella, Diamond-back, Silver Y and 3 long horns: Adela fibulella, reaumurella and rufimitrella.

And back to my favourite group diptera, plenty of lifers from this group with 11 this month alone.

Argyra argyria

Chyliza extenuata

Limonia nigropunctata

Neurigona quadrifasciata

Algae 7
Slime Mould 1
Lichen 49
Fungi 12
Bryophytes 64
Vascular Plants 133
Cnidarians 1
Molluscs 7
Arachnids 3

Myriapods 2

Crustaceans 3

Springtails 3

Orthopteroids 1

Hemipteroids 8

Hymenoptera 20
Coleoptera 37
Diptera 96

Butterflies 11

Moths 31
Remaining small orders 1

Birds 63

Mammals 5
Others 1
Total 559