Bridport & Thorne Week 24

Reasonable progress despite the weather being more like October than June.
Photo opportunities have been a bit limited so this weeks photo is of a Poplar Hawk-moth at Thorne from a couple of weeks back.

And the numbers for the two sites are as follows;

Group	Thorne	Bridport	Group	Thorne	Bridport
Slime moulds	1	1	Hemiptera	22	6
Lichens	22	6	Coleoptera	23	8
Fungi	21	2	Diptera	33	6
Bryophytes	22	7	Hymenoptera	31	11
Plants	244	205	Butterflies	11	11
Molluscs	6	2	Moths	77	49
Annelids	2	0	Insects RSO	6	2
Arachnids	8	2	Fish	1	1
Myriapods	0	0	Amphibia	3	1
Crustacea	10	5	Reptiles	0	0
Springtails	2	0	Birds	55	48
Odonata	4	4	Mammals	7	5
Orthoptera	2	1	Total	613	383

Cullaloe LNR - 50 species in 8 days

So the clock turned over to 950 this morning when I realised I had failed to thus far record the abundant Bird's-foot Trefoil, leaving 50 to find before 21st June if I'm to match last year's effort. I'd like to do that but only one weekend remains. And it's raining. And it's 7 degrees. Well, you never know. It's close enough to try if the weather shifts.

Fish-baited bottle and pitfall traps have been returning good numbers of silphids, including the below Thanatophilus rugosus (new to reserve, new to me). Credit for this belongs in part to Ashleigh Whiffin of NMS who did a very nice presentation on silphids at a nearby ecology centre recently.

The "remaining" list -species already known from the reserve which I haven't recorded this year is ticking down too - 1014 species left. I reckon I won't be far beyond the 1000 this year before the 2k reserve tally comes up. Numbers, numbers, numbers ... still the fascination is in the organisms themselves. Even wrinkly, stinky beetles. Maybe especially ...

Latest

935			R		flowering plant	Meconopsis cambrica	Welsh Poppy
936					flowering plant	Solanum dulcamara	Bittersweet
937					lep-moth	Lomaspilis marginata	Clouded Border
938					lep-moth	Pharmacis fusconebulosa	Map-winged Swift
939					lep-moth	Apamea unanimis	Small Clouded Brindle
940					hymenoptera	Vespula vulgaris	Common Wasp
941					diptera	Dasyneura ulmariae	A gall midge
942					diptera	Chloromyia formosa	Broad Centurion
943					lep-moth	Odezia atrata	Chimney Sweeper
944			R	M	coleoptera	Thanatophilus rugosus	A Carrion Beetle
945					diptera	Limonia nubeculosa	A Cranefly
946					diptera	Polietes lardarius	A muscid fly
947			R		lep-moth	Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla	Twin-spot Plume
948			R		diptera	Calliphora loewii	A blow fly
949					diptera	Chaetostomella cylindrica	A Picture-winged Fly
950					flowering plant	Lotus corniculatus	Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil

Bridport & Thorne week 23

The highlight of the week was a Hummingbird Hawk-moth nectaring on the Catmint in the garden at Thorne. However it was much too flighty to even attempt a photo. This week's photo instead is of the other species of chaser dragonfly commonly seen at the pond at Thorne. A Four-spotted Chaser.

The numbers for the two sites were as follows;

Group	Thorne	Bridport	Group	Thorne	Bridport
Slime moulds	1	1	Hemiptera	20	3
Lichens	22	6	Coleoptera	23	7
Fungi	20	2	Diptera	29	6
Bryophytes	22	7	Hymenoptera	29	11
Plants	237	200	Butterflies	11	9
Molluscs	6	2	Moths	67	37
Annelids	2	0	Insects RSO	6	1
Arachnids	8	2	Fish	1	1
Myriapods	0	0	Amphibia	3	1
Crustacea	10	5	Reptiles	0	0
Springtails	2	0	Birds	55	48
Odonata	4	4	Mammals	7	5
Orthoptera	2	1	Total	587	359

Bridport & Thorne Week 22

Still just keeping ahead of last year but now down to about 5% ahead.

This weeks photo is of a Wasp (Longhorn) Beetle

And the numbers for the 2 sites are as follows;

Group	Thorne	Bridport	Group	Thorne	Bridport
Slime moulds	1	1	Hemiptera	20	2
Lichens	22	6	Coleoptera	22	4
Fungi	20	2	Diptera	22	5
Bryophytes	22	7	Hymenoptera	28	8
Plants	209	192	Butterflies	10	7
Molluscs	6	2	Moths	59	32
Annelids	2	0	Insects RSO	6	1
Arachnids	8	2	Fish	1	1
Myriapods	0	0	Amphibia	3	1
Crustacea	10	5	Reptiles	0	0
Springtails	2	0	Birds	55	48
Odonata	4	2	Mammals	7	4
Orthoptera	2	1	Total	541	333

Cullaloe LNR - that escalated quickly...

So a chance meeting with the county moth recorder on the 1st meant we stayed up until the wee small hours bothering moths, running 7 traps in all. In addition to a few flies and beetles the sudden shot in the arm for moths means that I'm into the last 100. That includes, happily, another two hovers for the site and also a couple of nice big Tipulas (maxima and vulvipennis). Here's another lovey big crane that was in the trap - Pedicia rivosa. The stockpiling of sawflies and caddisflies continues. Should we have a rainy few days I definitely won't be short of things to do.

Last year the 100th species was on 21st June. Fingers crossed... after a slow end of May I see I'm now precisely 4 species ahead of where I was last year on 3rd June. So why not?

Pedicia rivosa

Latest additions

851			R		lep-moth	Epinotia immundana	Common Birch Bell
852			R		gall mite	Phyllocoptes populi	Aspen Leaf Galler
853			R		gall mite	Phyllocoptes sorbeus	Rowan leaf galler
854			R		diptera	Heilna impuncta	A muscid fly
855					lep-moth	Thyatira batis	Peach Blossom
856					lep-moth	Pheosia gnoma	Lesser Swallow Prominent
857					lep-moth	Petrophora chlorosata	Brown Silver-line
858					lep-moth	Perizoma alchemillata	Small Rivulet
859					lep-moth	Oligia strigilis	Marbled Minor
860					lep-moth	Ochropleura plecta	Flame Shoulder
861					lep-moth	Notodonta ziczac	Pebble Prominent
862					lep-moth	Bupalus piniaria	Bordered White
863					lep-moth	Cabera exanthemata	Common Wave
864					lep-moth	Caloptilia stigmatella	White-triangle Slender
865					lep-moth	Colostygia pectinataria	Green Carpet
866					lep-moth	Deilephila elpenor	Elephant Hawk-moth
867					lep-moth	Diarsia rubi	Small Square-spot
868					lep-moth	Elachista argentella	Swan feather dwarf
869					lep-moth	Epirrhoe alternata	Common Carpet
870					lep-moth	Eupithecia pulchellata	Foxglove Pug
871					lep-moth	Eupithecia subfuscata	Grey Pug
872					lep-moth	Spilosoma lubricipeda	White Ermine
873			R		lep-moth	Platyptilia gonodactyla	Triangle Plume
874					lep-moth	Blastobasis lacticolella	A micro moth
875					lep-moth	Scoparia ambigualis	A micro moth
876					bird	Vanellus vanellus	Lapwing
877			R	M	lep-moth	Agonopterix arenella	Brindled Flat-body
878			R		lep-moth	Furcula furcula	Sallow Kitten
879					lep-moth	Chloroclysta miata	Autumn Green Carpet
880			R		lep-moth	Notocelia trimaculana	A micro moth
881					lep-moth	Rusina ferruginea	Brown Rustic
882			R	M	lep-moth	Capua vulgana	A micro moth
883			R	M	diptera	Tipula maxima	A crane fly
884			R		diptera	Tipula fulvipennis	A crane fly
885					insect-other	Glyphotaelius pellucidus	A Caddis Fly
886					insect-other	Phryganea grandis	A Caddis Fly
887			R	M	coleoptera	Exochomus quadripustulatus	Pine Ladybird
888			R	M	lep-moth	Coleophora albicosta	A micro moth
889					coleoptera	Aphodius rufipes	A dung beetle
890			R		lep-moth	Nola confusalis	Least Black Arches
891					diptera	Pedicia rivosa	A crane fly
892			R	M	lep-moth	Monopis weaverella	A micro moth
893					lep-moth	Pseudargyrotoza conwagana	A micro moth
894			R		diptera	Urophora jaceana	A gall fly
895					coleoptera	Pterostichus madidus	A ground beetle
896					flowering plant	Epipactis helleborine	Broad-leaved Helleborine
897			R		lep-moth	Korscheltellus lupulina	Common Swift
898			R		diptera	Eumera funeralis	A hover fly
899			R		diptera	Parhelophilus versicolor	A hover fly
900			R		diptera	Platycheirus scutatus	A hover fly