Blaencaerau Devils-bit Scabious patch

It's the time of the year when hoverflies start to die off rapidly and are all but gone by early October. But not today due to the cool fine weather I recorded 26 species albeit in mainly small numbers on the DBS patch near the stream coming down through the forestry. Ferdinandea cuprea was new for the year, but more importantly it was my 100th species for the Blaencaerau 1km square, the second square in the valley following in the footsteps of Garnwen in 2018. Eristalis tenax (110) was the most numerous whilst there were good records in the form of Rhingia campestris (14), Rhingia rostrata (1), Eristalis intricaria (2), Sericomyia silentis (9), Volucella bombylans (1 late record) and Volucella pellucens (1 latish record).

I was so busy searching the DBS (possibly a 1000 flower heads) that I didn't see many other insects except 7 species of butterfly headed by Small Copper and a migrant Silver Y moth.

 Part of the Devils-bit Scabious patch, which is about 300mts by 100mts in size.

 Small Copper

 Eristalis horticola

 Eristalis intricaria

 Rhingia campestris

 Sericomyia silentis

 Volucella bombylans - late record

 Volucella pellucens

Ferdinand Cuprea - a species rarely seen, it has a symbiotic relationship with the Goat Moth, its larva live in the wound/sap runs of trees caused by the infestation of Goat Moth larva, which is a species not yet recorded in the valley, so I'll be keeping an eye on the nearby trees next year.