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Out early today, well early for me in bright warm sunshine. After a tip off I scoured the area for Marsh Fritillary but had no luck, but other species of butterfly were showing including the first of year Dark Green Fritillary and Small Copper. Others were 7 Dingy Skipper, 6 Common Blue, 3 Small Heath, 15 Green-veined White and a Red Admiral. New moths for the year included Ancylis badiana and Common Heath. A Tree Bumblebee was seen among the commoner species. A total 15 longhorn beetle of the species Rhagium bifasciatum were seen, with 13 in one Hawthorn alone also 3 Green Tiger Beetle were on the paths. The large Red and Black Froghopper was present and Large Red Damselflies were out in numbers. The Narrow Bordered 5-spot Burnet larva seen Monday was now a cocoon, it's in a very prominent place so I can't see it evading the parasitic wasps for long, lots of the Tachinid fly Thelaira nigripes about too.

3 pairs of House Martin were collecting mud for their nests. I later found all three in and behind two specific houses in Caerau road, that's one pair up on last year, so there's hope yet. 3 Whitethroats were calling from the Old tip reclaimed areas.

New blooms for the year were White Clover, Slender Thistle and Heath Speedwell.

17 species of hoverfly were seen with Xanthogramma citrofasciatum found at the end of the street. Managed to net the Parahelophilus which was a male versicolor, also found more Anasimyia contracta at another area, they seem quite common this year as I couldn't find them last year here.

 Parahelophilus versicolor - this family can't be done from photos and have to be netted for ID, which this one was, the photo is just a record shot.

 Xanthogramma citrofasciatum

 Anasimyia contracta - another difficult species to ID, you have to photo it from above to see the shape of T2, so I usually have to settle for a look through the bins.

 Common Blue

 Dingy Skipper - quite common today

 Mondays Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnet is now a cocoon.

Rhagium bifasciatum - 13 in one small Hawthorn bush