TQ2897 - an update

I’m well overdue in giving an update. March was horrendous. Until the changeover to BST I was only really get out to see TQ2897 on the weekends and it variously rained or snowed on most of those days, stymieing my efforts and, with the cold weather, also ruining the much hoped for early invertebrates season. It's ramped up tremendously since though and this week I've added a further 20 species.

 

Plants

Most of the square is acid grassland and woodland with a lot of disturbance and trampling, I really had to hunt around for some of these quite common species (I still haven't even found Red Dead-nettle within the square!):

• Crack Willow
• Common chickweed
• Garlic Mustard
• Charlock
• Honesty
• Hairy Bitter-cress
• Wavy Bitter-cress
• Creeping Buttercup
• Field Buttercup
• Common Groundsel
• Yarrow
• Coltsfoot
• Daisy
• Lesser Celandine
• Wood Anemone
• Wood Sorrel
• Ivy-leaved Speedwell
• Sweet Vernal Grass
• Field Wood-rush

I got working on mosses and liverworts some more in the meantime (nearly all lifers for me):

• Forked Veilwort, Metzgeria furcata
• Dilated Scalewort, Frullania dilatata
• Mueller’s Pouchwort, Calypogeia muelleriana
• Variable-leaved Crestwort, Lophocolea heterophylla
• Pellucid Four-tooth Moss, Tetraphis pellucida
• Common Pocket-moss, Fissidens taxifolius
• Heath Star-moss, Camypylopus introflexus
• Silky Forklet-moss, Dicranella heteromalla
• Wood Bristle-moss, Orthotrichum affine
• White-tipped Bristle-moss, Orthotrichum diaphanum
• Crisped Pincushion, Ulota crispa
• Grey-cushioned Grimmia, Grimmia pulvinata
• Great Hairy Screw-moss (what a name!), Syntrichia ruralis (ssp. ruralis)
• Wall Screw-moss, Tortula muralis
• Bank Haircap, Polytrichastrum formosum
• Juniper Haircap, Polytrichum juniperinum
• Capillary Thread-moss, Bryum capillare
• Cape Thread-moss, Orthodontium lineare
• Neat Feather-moss, Pseudoscleropodium purum
• Heath Plait-moss, Hypnum jutlandicum
• Pointed Spear-moss, Calliergonella cuspidata

I’m still hunting around for the Bonfire Moss, Funaria hygrometrica, which I’ve found elsewhere in the Park but not in my 1ksq yet.

Ulota crispa - cameraphone photo taken through hand-lens

Tetraphis pellucida - with gemmae receptacle

 

Fungi 

I’m fairly confident I have a fungal tick with Illosporiopsis christiansenii growing on a Physcia sp. I went back to take a second look at it after reading up on it and it definitely had a messy, grainy texture as opposed to the coralline shape of Marchandiomyces corallinus.

Insects

• Cerylon histeroides (small beetle from under pine bark) 
• Cerylon ferrugineus (another small beetle also under pine bark)
• A Histerid which I believe is Paromalus flavicornis (a ~2mm beetle found alongside the beetle above.) 
• Rhizophagus bipustulatus (a bark beetle and also found under pine bark)
• Harlequin ladybird (also under pine bark)
• Loricera pilicornis – a fairly common ground beetle; fell out of a tree and dropped right in front of me!  
• Abax parallelepipedus (a largeish ground beetle)
• Rhagium mordax - a longhorn beetle
• Oulema obscura - a leaf beetle
  
• Anthocoris nemorum  – a flower bug swept off of holly
• Common Shore Bug, Saldula saltatoria
• Balclutha punctata (a leafhopper)
  
• Eurysa lineata – planthopper nymph swept from grass
• Cacopsylla sp. - a psyllid and another annoying complex where the male is needed to ID
• A tachinid fly that I’m reasonably confident is Gonia picea.
• Eristalis pertinax
• Bibio johannis
• Dyseriocrania subpurpurella (micromoth)
• Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris
• Red-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus lapidarius
• Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum

Rhagium mordax

Arachnids

I’m really looking at these too early for most species but it’s a group I’m unfamiliar with so the practice of getting down to genus has been useful:

• Amaurobius fenestralis (under birch bark)
• Pardosa sp. – lots of these running around in the leaf litter right now. All I’ve found is immature males so far.
• Clubiona sp. – hiding in pine bark.
• Araniella sp. (with a lovely parasitoid wasp grub nestled between cephalothorax and abdomen right where the spider can’t do a thing about it. Probably Polysphincta tuberosa)

Nature at its cutest.

Also found Aceria ilicis (mite) galls on Quercus ilex nearby so will be hunting for that on the ornamental Holm Oak I’ve been ignoring up till now.

Vertebrates

The Mute Swans finally wandered over the square’s border in the lower lake and have popped onto the list. Also Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush (finally), Skylark and Pied Wagtail were new for the patch and 4 buzzards circling within one binocular view were pleasant features of the last weekend’s walk.

And a non-feathered vertebrate! Grass snake, Natrix natrix - very torpid so I got a nice close shot.

Lacking a key to the group, I'll have to leave the death-wish millipede as Polydesmus sp.

I’m now on 193 species (with full species level ID).

TM2499 Shotesham - into the 1K400 Club at last!

Sunday night and I should go to bed but need to do an update of this week. Steady progress, with some good warm nights in the middle of the week but a depressingly cold weekend just gone making it hard work. Still, 44 more bring me to my hoped-for end of April target of 400. (I'd kind of thought about 100 per month would be nice, leaving the last two months for mopping up, but fell behind seriously in March). Still missing Willow Warbler though! Here's the new ones anyway:

Late entries:
357 Trochosa ruricola - a spider I'd struggled with but sorted at last thanks to advice from Iain Downie. Was thrown by the Collins key saying that Lycosidae had four small equal-sized eyes at the front - these didn't look all that small or equal-sized to me. Clearly the beast though.
358 Diurnea fagella - classic spring micro-moth, appeared at the trap shortly after writing last week's blog post.

Monday 22nd:
Nothing

Tuesday 23rd:
359 Creeping Buttercup - at last in flower, I've been ignoring the leaves
360 Eristalis pertinax - several of this hoverfly out this week
361 Platycheirus albimanus - one netted at forget-me-nots in garden, always a very common hoverfly here
362 Melinda gentilis - a small bluebottle netted from forget-me-nots in garden. Tricky one this, but reasonably confident. Have kept specimen and asked local expert whether he needs to see it.
363 Two-spot Ladybird - one walked past the kettle!
364 Common Carder Bee - lots this week
365 Engrailed - moth trap
366 Double-striped Pug - moth trap
367 Powdered Quaker - moth trap
368 Depressaria heraclei - moth trap

Wednesday 24th:
369 Cormorant - a fly-over, the most excitement I've ever had from a cormorant (not a lot still).
370 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner - first one on the trunk of a large tree in the village that has them each year - several weeks late this year.
371 Thale Cress - in flower on verge
372 Waved Umber - moth trap
373 Frosted Green - moth trap
374 Early Tooth-striped - moth trap - garden tick and my 2nd ever, perhaps the first record for TM29.
375 Harpalus rufipes - carabid by moth trap which I keyed as this multiple times but caused me trouble as it seemed the wrong colour, until Mark Telfer kindly explained about teneral ones being paler.
376 Buttoned Snout - moth trap - a good one to see, although reasonably common round here
377 The Streamer - moth trap
378 Nut-tree Tussock - moth trap

Thursday 25th:
379 Dove's-foot Cranesbill - in flower on verge
380 Cowslip - in flower by pond, looked a bit plastic but seen subsequently elsewhere
381 Meadow Vetchling - leaves only so far
382 Field Horsetail - fertile (brown) stems popping up
383 Wood Forget-me-not - garden variety found naturalised on other side of the road from our house
384 Early Thorn - moth trap
385 Brindled Pug - moth trap

Friday 26th:
386 Common Mouse-ear - got bored seeing this around the place and waiting for it to flower
387 Germander Speedwell - first flowers

Saturday 27th:
388 Bluebell - confirmed one with white pollen so not a hybrid - there are decent patches across the square border too
389 Parsley-piert - stupid little plant with a daft name, but chuffed to notice this at last! In a fallow field. Teeny weeny green flower!
390 Field Forget-me-not - same field
391 Phyllonorycter spinicolella - netted from a cherry-plum hedge. Bit confused as it looks spot on cf the photo on ukmoths (greyish) but MBGBI2 says it should be an orangey one (as per photo on Norfolk Moths website). Don't know how variable colour might be. May get it looked at more closely, but this species easy later as miner anyway.
392 Melanostoma scalare - another common small hoverfly
393 Cyclosa conica - little spider netted from Dog's Mercury in a small wood - odd pointy back end
394 Andrena flavipes - finally plucked up courage to name an Andrena and photo confirmed by recorder so happy!
395 White Bryony - in garden
396 Sycamore - small saplings finally sprouting leaves

Sunday 28th:
397 Cuckoo-flower - but still no Cuckoo
398 Marsh Valerian - just coming out on damp areas of the common
399 Silverweed - leaves on the common
400 Broad-leaved Pondweed - in the lower section of the main ditch. Always been a bit scared of pondweed ID cos there's so many of them, but this was actually quite easy.

Plenty more in pots or on my desk as scraps of vegetation (including two sedges, gulp!)

Male Andrena flavipes - note the prominent pale bands on the abdomen

Early Tooth-striped - not the most exciting looking moth but pleasing all the same

Dark-edged Bee-fly - cool or what?

Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner - stunning micro-moth

Cyclosa conica (I think - any other thoughts welcome)

Flower of Parsley-Piert, how pointless is that?

And finally, crazy weevil. Maybe Curculio? Don't have the book and haven't kept it - don't suppose it can be named from the photo?

SP5595ish Update

After a burst of action in the week, this weekend has been a bit slow with a return to cooler and windier conditions and the moth-traps left in the shed. Still managed to add a few bits and I'm up to 326 (taking into account reversing White-tailed Bumblebee to an aggregate).

Field Horsetail

	Taxon	Vernacular	Date Added
326	Barbarea vulgaris	Winter-cress	28/04/2013
325	Equisetum arvense	Field Horsetail	28/04/2013
324	Cochlearia danica	Danish Scurvygrass	28/04/2013
323	Conopodium majus	Pignut	28/04/2013
322	Longitarsus dorsalis	(beetle)	28/04/2013
321	Acer platanoides	Norway Maple	28/04/2013
320	Heracleum sphondylium	Hogweed	28/04/2013
319	Anthriscus sylvestris	Cow Parsley	28/04/2013
318	Myosotis arvensis	Field Forget-me-not	27/04/2013
317	Epuraea melanocephala	(beetle)	26/04/2013
316	Bombus vestalis	a bumblebee	26/04/2013
315	Amblyptilia acanthadactyla	(micromoth)	25/04/2013
314	Formica fusca	Black Wood Ant	25/04/2013
313	Pogonocherus hispidulus	Greater Thorn-tipped Longhorn Beetle	25/04/2013
312	Entomobrya multifasciata	(springtail)	25/04/2013
311	Larinioides cornutus	(spider)	25/04/2013
310	Bibio johannis	(fly)	25/04/2013
309	Phaedon cochleariae	Mustard Beetle	25/04/2013
308	Nedyus quadrimaculatus	Small Nettle Weevil	25/04/2013
307	Filipendula ulmaria	Meadowsweet	25/04/2013
306	Hyacinthoides hispanica	Spanish Bluebell	25/04/2013
305	Propylea quattuordecimpunctata	14-spot Ladybird	25/04/2013
304	Exochomus quadripustulatus	Pine Ladybird	25/04/2013
303	Chrysolina americana	Rosemary Beetle	25/04/2013
302	Otiorhynchus sulcatus	Vine Weevil	25/04/2013
301	Sylvia communis	Common Whitethroat	25/04/2013
agg.	Simulium sp.	(fly)	24/04/2013
300	Chrysoperla carnea	(lacewing)	24/04/2013

Norway Maple blossom

Common Carder Bee

Here's a quick breakdown of the total:

Bird	58
Vascular Plant	57
Moth	35
Beetle	24
Lichen	21
Fungi	17
Fly	16
Spider	14
Mollusc	13
Bee	8
Moss	8
Bug	6
Springtail	6
Butterfly	5
Woodlouse	5
Hoverfly	4
Ant	3
Mammal	3
Millipede	3
Centipede	2
Harvestman	2
Leafhopper	2
Wasp	2
Worm	2
Algae	1
Amphibian	1
Bristletail	1
Earwig	1
Fish	1
Lacewing	1
Liverwort	1
Psyllid	1
Sawfly	1
Slime Mould	1
	326
Agg.	9

Nursery Web Spider

TG2507: Brief update

27th April 2013

Not much to add to my list since the last update (I still haven't turned to small invertebrates), but a few extra birds, the best of which was Arctic Tern, plus hirundines, Swift and common warblers.

In terms of plants, Common Field Speedwell,  Bluebell, Garlic Mustard and Wood Forget-me-not are all now in flower.

Total: 119.

Foulsham update

My list is currently lodging at 342 species, with a few new plants today, although too cold for much in the way of flying insects. The small annual species like thale cress are now flowering, and whitlow grass is already going over. I thought it might be interesting to break down thre 342 into species groups. I'm sure everyone has their own specialism, mine being plants, birds and moths, so I reckon my list is probably already biased in that direction:

Amphibian - 3
Bird - 70
Bristletail - 1
Bryophyte - 16
Diptera - 2
Fish - 3
Fungi - 1
Hymenoptera - 10
Lacewing - 1
Lepidoptera - 34
Lichens - 7
Mammal - 6
Earwig - 1
Mollusc - 10
Spider - 7
Vascular plant - 166
Woodlouse - 2
Worm - 1

Of course, to get to 1000 species, I will have to make further serious forays into groups I know very little about. That's just fine. That is what I want to get from this challenge, more breadth!
X

TQ6410: Birds and the bees and a Castle through the trees ....

A few more bits and pieces over the past week followed by a great day out around the square yesterday - courtesy of the Herstmonceux Castle Estate whose 600ha are right alongside my plot and extend into adjoining 1km squares to the south and east. Was allowed to extend my search for new species around the wonderful Castle grounds (moat, lake, woods, meadows, wetland) in summer weather (21C) and to go back again yesterday evening to check out the bats. The latter were interesting but we didn't find any Daubenton's surprisingly so will have to wait for a couple of other recordings at around 19, 22 and 25khz to be analysed first. The intriguing ones were a pair flying around 5m up that didn't show up on either of the detectors.

20/4
410 - Ivy-leaved Speedwell Veronica hederifolia - on the plant bench growing out of pea-beach shingle
411 - Tapered Drone Fly Eristalis pertinax  - along the sheltered wet woodland edge with Eristalis tenax 
412 - Hoverfly  Eupeodes luniger - along the wet woodland edge with many drone flies

21/4
413 - Lesser Whitethroat - just inside the Castle grounds by the bridleway
414 - Reed Warbler – in the Castle’s little pond by the bridleway (just inside the square)
415 - Tree Bumblebee  Bombus hypnorum along bridleway by the Castle (on Ground Ivy)

22/4
416 - Lapwing – flying over the arable field just south of the Church
417 - Red Currant  Ribes rubrum - naturalised in the far corner of the rookery wood 

418 - Alder Fly  Sialis lutaria – found on a fence post on the plot - dodgy??

419 - Common Carder Bumblebee Bombus pascuorum – at the plot

23/4
420 - Cuckoo  - calling as it flew overhead near the plot

421- Red Twin-spot Carpet Xanthorhoe spadicearia – an involuntary day-flyer in dappled sunshine around the parking area 
422 - Green-veined White  Pieris napi – flew up the front driveway at the plot
423 - Field Horsetail  Equisetum arvense by the plot’s front gate
424 - Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum  crawling along the ground in between Ground Ivy flowers
425 - Hollyhock Rust  Puccinia malvacearum -  on Common Mallow in the wild flower bank at the plot 
426 - Fleabane  - Pulicaria dysenterica first new leaves hugging the ground by the plot’s front gate 
427 - Moth Eriocraniidae sangii  (thanks to Skev’s ID of this micro’s family/group) 

24/4

428 - Shoulder Stripe  Anticlea badiata 
429 - Engrailed Ectropis crepuscularia

25/5  Herstmonceux Castle grounds yesterday - some new flora (in no particular order) for the square:
430 - Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis 
431 - Hemp Agrimony   Eupatorium cannabinum
432 - Ramsons  Allium ursinum
433 - Wood Sage  Teucrium scorodonia
434 - Wood Spurge  Euphorbia amygdaloides
435 - Wood Speedwell  Veronica Montana
436 - Persian Speedwell  Veronica persica
437 - Broom  Cystus scoparius

438 - Lousewort   Pedicularis sylvatica (above)

439 - Sharp Dock   Rumex conglomeratus

440 - Lesser Periwinkle  Vinca minor

441 - Wild Wallflower Cheiranthus cheiri  (well-established growing out of the castle wall by the moat)

442 - Pellitory-of-the-wall Parietaria officinalis   (ditto)

443 - Red Valerian  Centranthus ruber  (ditto)

444 - Ground Elder Aegopodium podagraria  (at the base of the wall)

445 - Water Forget-me-not  Myosotis palustris

446 - Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis  (naturalised on the edge of some wetland by the Castle’s upper lake)

447 - Tormentil  Potentilla erecta 

448 - Rough Hawkbit  Leontodon hispidus (leaves -  and mining bee - in a dry bank)

449 - Mouse-ear Hawkweed  Hieracium pilosella (ditto)

450 - Sweet Vernal Grass  Anthoxanthum odoratum (flowers just opening up)

451 - Greater Pond Sedge  Carex ripara (ditto)

452 - Water Horsetail Equisetum fluviatile (throughout a smaller pond)

453 - Broad Buckler Fern Dryopteris austriaca

454 - Springy Turf-moss  Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus (so many others too)

455 - Weeping Willow  Salix babylonica near the upper lake (ignored all the other trees for now as part of it's a sort of arborethum .... any takers for Chinese Juniper?? Even the 300 year old Sweet Chestnuts are in a sort of a line)

Other bits and pieces around the Castle grounds yesterday:

456 - Early Mining Bee  Andrena haemorrhoa

457 - Common Pond Skater or Water Strider Gerris lacustris (on lhs in pic)

458 - Pond Skater Aquarius najas rhs in pic (seen/photo’d side by side Gerris lacustris)

459 - Water Beetle Colymbetes fuscus (almost leapt/flew on to my lap while I was scoffing a sandwich by the lake).  Don't hold out too much hope of three good beetle ID's in a row. Also tripped over another Minotaur Beetle on my plot.

460 - 24-spot Ladybird  Subcoccinella  24-punctata

461 - Brimstone  Gonepteryx rhamni  (nectaring on dandelion by the wet woodland near the upper lake)

462 - Fallow Deer Dama dama  (wild herd of eight disappeared into the misty woodland early a.m.)

463 - Pigmy Shrew  Sorex minutus  (foraging in and out of leaf litter)

464 - Common Carp Cyprinus carpio (surfacing in the Castle’s upper lake as well as the moat)

464 species ..... and a few more things still to sort out ..... including another visit soon!

p.s.  the Castle grounds' bird list on the day was 44 species (incl. the four Egyptian Geese which are still there) ..... but nothing new yesterday for the square's list .... which is currently on 80 species.