Three house Martins flying North uo the coast near Strumble Head on Tuesday 3rd March

Learn about solitary bees?

In the vague hope that someone might look at this blog occasionally, I'll publicise this here.

The local records centre is organising a one-day workshop for people to learn more about the habits and identification of solitary bees. It will probably take place at the end of November at the Cardiff Museum. If anyone is interested in attending, please contact me rushmoor1@tiscali.co.uk

Derek's beetle

To answer Derek G it is a longhorn beetle called Leptura maculata although it used to be called Stangnalia melanura. Ought to be called Wasp Beetle but that common name goes to a much less significant looking beast Clytus ariestis and I don't think L. maculata has a sensible name. I think they are very impressive. I normally see them on Hogweed flower heads. Has a status of local in UK. WWBIC would be interested in your record.
Nigel Ajax Lewis

Small tortoiseshells

Things seem a bit quiet on this site lately.

Good numbers of small tortoiseshells around this year after the alarm bells going off last year about a drastic decrease.

Clouded Yellow

A rare treat - a clouded yellow in my Camrose garden last week!

July - Early August

Good to see others are observing a mass of butterflies on sunny days. After bad summers in 2007 2008 I have been surprised at the numbers on my transects. Tortoiseshells and peacocks and common blues are in short supply.
Walking along the Ceredigion coast path from Mwnt towards Aberporth there were masses on a large patch of knapweed. They were mostly whites and very fresh painted ladies with the odd tortoiseshell and peacocks as well as gatekeepers and meadow browns. Small coppers were fairly
numerous in the short grass on the path itself.

I haven't trapped so many footman moths this year and haven't seen a buff tip for a couple of years. There have been more poplar hawkmoths than usual also brussels lace and willow beauties. There have been several prominents - pebble,pale and coxcombs

For the past two years I have looked for the marmalade hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus without much success. There are plenty around in my garden this year - maybe because I decided lawns were a waste of time and let the grass and wild flowers grow.

Hornet Robberfly (Asilus crabroniformis)

A visit to the Newgale Hornet Robberfly site today produced a count of only 13 - hopefully there are more about - the weather was nice but very blowy.

Remember to keep an eye out for this BIG bold fly lying up on cow/horse pats wherever there is some decent habitat and extensive grazing by cattle or horses/ponies.

One day of sunshine - Clouded Yellow

One day of sunshine and suddenly there are dozens of common blues and wall browns around at Newgale, Small tortoiseshells in my garden in Camrose and a Clouded Yellow flying down the road through Keeston.

Camrose Butterflies

No rarities seen but a local bird cover crop field had thousands of large and small whites last sunday as well as hundreds of newly emerged Painted ladies. The fields were full of butterflies - a rare sight these days!

Butterflies in the Martletwy/Landshipping area

During a regular weekly butterfly transect at Martletwy/Landshipping area - commas, painted ladies, red admirals were all seen in reasonable numbers but no small tortoiseshells this weekend (one or two last weekend, but they still seem scarce). Three silver-washed fritillaries (similar numbers a week earlier) - they seem to be having a good summer. Large numbers of whites (all three common species) and the first clouded yellow of the summer noted.

Speckled bush cricket

We get one or two speckled bush crickets in our garden each year - about 5km south-west of Minwear/Canaston.

Green bugs

Have just had another internet search on these after seeing more this morning - there are quite a few about on knapweed flowers.

This particular species seems to be the potato capsid bug Closteromotomus norwegicus.

Stenotus binotatus females do look similar to my photograph, but the clincher seems to be that the second antenna segment is of similar length to the third and fourth segments combined.

The British bugs site has lots of photographs of lots of species. I don't know how comprehensive it is, but it's the best I've seen so far.

Speckled Bush Cricket

Recent visits to Canaston and Minwear Woods have turned up numerous Speckled Bush Crickets. Has anyone else seen this species much away from the coast?

Another Invasion of Painted ladies on the cards?

Following the invasion of Painted lady butterflies earlier in the year I have recently found a couple of arable fields near Camrose with un-treated margins with plenty of creeping thistle. Almost all of the plants have been heavily eaten by Painted lady caterpillars. There must have been thousands of caterpillars here. Has anyone else noticed the same thing? Perhaps we can expect to see a second wave of this species soon?

Response to Joyce re metallic green butterflies

In response to Joyces note about moths and butterflies I would suspect the metallic green things were green hairstreaks?

Green Bug response

Response to Annies question about the green bug. I am no expert on this group but there is a photo in the Collins "Complete British Insects" of a similar bug that is commonly found feeding on ripening seeds and flowers. It is called Stenotus binotatus and as hinted in the name, it has a pair of black dots on the pronotum.

Hope this helps, Jon

Oil beetle identification response

In response to Annie's Oil beetle question, I think that it is M. proscaberous we get round here. There is a Key to oil beetles in British Wildlife vol14 october 2002. Have you got it?

jon

June

Pembrokshire
I found a few Dark Green Fritillaries towards the end of June on the coast path between Trefasser Cross and Strumble head. Also some metallic green moths about the size of the common blue butterfly. I think they may be foresters has anyone else seen them?
Ceredigion- butterflies
Meadow browns and ringlets are fairly numerous on the transects I monitor inspite of bad summers in 2007,2008. Skippers and common blues are around but few in number, small tortoiseshells, peacocks and small coppers are rare this year. Maybe the second flight season will be better.
Moths
poplar hawkmoths, privit hawkmoths and elephant hawkmoths have all been in the trap in June.
Also lychnis, silverground carpet, white banded and garden carpets, brimstones, phoenix, pebble prominent, blood veins, buff and white ermines. small magpie, poplar grey, green and grey arches, coxcomb prominent and willow beauties.

What are these bugs?

These bugs were feeding on knapweed. Anyone know what they are? Or more importantly, where do I go to start trying to identify them? Those illustrated in my insect book don't have green eyes or black dots on the pronotum.

Annie

I've seen lots of oil beetles on the coast between St Justinians' and Porth Taflod this year. I'd assumed from the bright blue-purple colour that they were Meloe violaceous, but are they? The NBN map doesn't show them in Pembrokeshire, but does show some records of M proscarabaeus. How do I identify them? I have some photos.

Annie