Blaencaerau C.O.P.

A healthy score of 27 species of hoverfly, with new for the year in Platycheirus angustatus, Cheilosia antiqua, Helophilus trivittatus, Pipiza austriaca and Volucella bombylans (plumata form).
I've taken a Dasysyrphus venustus aggregate that might be neovenustus and the Cheilosia antiqua was only my second sighting. The first Volucella always heralds the June explosion, so I'm hoping to hit 30-40 species a couple of times in June.

Summer butterflies are now starting to emerge with Dingy Skipper, Large Skipper, Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell and Common Blue all abundant. First of the Leaf-cutter bees have emerged with Patchwork and Willoughby's present with increased numbers of bumblebees especially Tree Bumblebee. No dragonflies yet but damselfly numbers increasing. Speckled Longhorn was the pick of the beetles. Burnet cocoons are now everywhere, so it wont be to long before they emerge in their thousands.

Amongst the birds summer residents have now settled down with Swifts screaming through the streets and House Martin collecting mud for nests. The Goshawks have built in a different site this year probably due to disturbance. Regular Cuckoos can be heard from both sides of the valley around the Meadow Pipit areas. Grasshopper Warbler and Nightjar have returned in good numbers too. Whitethroat numbers are easily as high as I've seen them previously.

 Ox-eye daises are attracting a lot of Eristalis at the moment, this one is Eristalis tenax, but Eristalis nemorum has had a large emergence.

 Volucella bombylans harbinger of the hoverfly horde to come.

Xylota jakutorum - one day I'll find "florum" in the woods.

Pont Rhydd-y-cyff lanes SS8688

No way was I going to match yesterdays exploits, so I walked the hedgerows and lanes from the Welsh School to Top Llangynwyd and managed a respectable 31 species. New for the year was Baccha elongata, Paragus haemorrhous and Melangyna labiatarum. Highlights included Leucozona lucorum (2), Orthonevra nobilis (1), Riponnensia splendens (1) and Xylota sylvarum.

 Tree Pipit

 Syritta pipiens - first species to be recorded feeding on Ivy-leaved Toadflax followed swiftly by Rhingia campestris.

Another Chicken of the woods fungi on Oak.

Lletty Brongu woods today

To be honest I wasn't expecting much today, so I'm a little taken aback as I recorded 40 species of hoverfly, only the third time I have achieved this. The umbellifer Ground Elder was in full bloom and it is the first time this year that I have seen every flowerhead covered in various flies. There were 9 new species for the year taken my total to 70. There were many highlights, some noted in the following paragraph.

A female Psilota anthracina, a species only ever recorded in Wales within the Llynfi Valley was located on Ground Elder near the river, it is a species of ancient woodland in England, some areas of the valley including here fit the bill. Last year however it was recorded twice on the edge of spruce plantation and this is how it is recorded on the continent. Ferdinandea cuprea a scarce arboreal species was photographed feeding at ground level on Meadow Buttercup. A Dasysyrphus venustus was potted and confirmed from its close relative D. neovenustus [not yet seen in valley]. 7 species of Cheilosia were seen including the scarce Cheilosia lasiopa. Migrants were seen for the first time this year in Scaeva pyrastri (3) and Episyrphus balteatus (16). A Brachyopa scutellaris was seen on Ground Elder in the same spot as in 2018. Also seen new for the year on Ground Elder were Chrysogaster solstitialis, Orthonevra nobilis and Riponnensia splendens. A female Eumerus funeralis was associating with Neapolitan Garlic at the farm entrance. Chalcosyrphus nemorum male was seen in the woods on Meadow Buttercup. Finally 3 species of Xylota were seen including new for the year Xylota sylvarum. 

Ferdinandea cuprea

Scaeva pyrastri

Episyrphus balteatus

Xylota sylvarum

Eristalis arbustorum

Last couple of days roundup

Lucozona lucorum - hoverfly

Pachytodes cerambyciformis (Speckled Longhorn) - beetle

Cheilosia albitarsis agg. - hoverfly

Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus - plant bug [new for valley] oak woods specialist

Rhabdomiris striatellus - plant bug (new for valley) oak woods specialist

Cantharis pellucida - soldier beetle (I think, a/w Irecord confirmation)

Bluebell beds at Gilfach (west), Top Llangynwyd

Blaencaerau C.O.P

Weather was hot (20c) and very heavy with a dark cloud built up but no rain. I recorded 19 species of hoverfly but all in single or low numbers. Unlike the lower end of the valley, the Hawthorn and Sycamore are not quite in bloom yet, so there was very little for hoverflies to feed on besides Cuckooflower and Rowan which are not favoured plants. New for the year were Platycheirus granditarsus, Eupeodes corollae and Neoascia tenur.

Had my first of the year butterflies in Dingy Skipper and Small Heath. Grass Snake and Lizard made up the reptiles. No unusual insects except Mompha divisella which I haven't seen in a while and there were a lot of Empis tessellata (Dagger Fly) about, this species feed on all sorts of flies including hoverflies, numbers will have to drop if I am to get big numbers of hoverflies. On the bird front the first returning Swift (1) and House Martin (2) were seen  and Whitethroat numbers are up to 7 singing males. There were also 4 pairs of Stonechat holding territory around the area.

Dingy Skipper

Small Heath

Mompha divisella agg.

Cwm Nant Gwyn

Garnwen is plagued by walkers, so I payed a visit to Cwm Nant Gwyn. Not many if any people walk here and the paths are now becoming badly overgrown at the bottom end, nevertheless I had a good loop walk around.

18 species of hoverfly were seen, new for the year were Platycheirus clypeatus, Chrysotoxum cautum, Dasysyrphus albostriatus, Cheilosia variabilis, Eristalis arbustorum and my 50th species for the year in Myathropa florea (116 species seen in 2019). Good numbers of Rhingia campestris (33) were feeding on Bluebell, other highlights included Platycheirus ambiguus (f), Platycheirus clypeatus (m) Rhingia rostrata (m) and a dark form Leucozona lucorum (m). The Parasyrphus nigritarsis egg I had a few days ago has hatched and has munched its way through all the beetle larva so I had to replenish stock.

My first Azure Damselfly of the year was seen as was Welsh Chafer beetle and my first Orange-legged Robberfly, a local species in South Wales oak woods. The woods were covered in caterpillars, more than I have ever seen, most were hanging by threads and I was covered in them by the time I got back to the car.  

Summer arriving birds were in fine song in Redstart (3m), Garden Warbler (m), Spotted Flycatcher (1), Whitethroat (1m), Blackcap (6m), Willow Warbler (12m), Chiffchaff (5m) and a Cuckoo (1m). No Pied Flycatcher so far this year yet though.

Chrysotoxum cautum (female)

Chrysotoxum cautum (male)

Orange-legged Robberfly

Mottled Umber (larva)

Large Orange Fungus on Oak Tree, don't know anything bout fungi but this one stood out a mile, comments welcome.

Lletty Brongu woods - Saturday

19 species of hoverfly were seen today at Lletty woods. New for the year were Platycheirus ambiguus (f), Leucozona lucorum (f), Rhingia rostrata (f), Neoascia podagrica (6) and Sphegina clunipes (10). Rhingia campestris was out in good numbers totalling 22. Good records included Platycheirus tarsalis (2m), Cheilosia vernalis (f) and the egg stage of Parasyrphus nigritarsis. This species lays its eggs (white) amongst clutches of eggs (orange) of the Green Dock Beetle on the underside of the Dock leaf in this case Broad-leaved Dock (sea photo below).

A new beetle in Sphaeridium lunatum was seen, it is a Water Scavenging Beetle related to dung beetles and feeds on the insect larva within mammal dung. The first Large Red Damselfly of the year was noted as well as Harlequin Ladybird. Orange-tip headed the butterflies with 3 males and 2 females. All quiet on the bird front. A lot of Cow Parsley along the river now and the small Ramsons patch was in full bloom.

 Cheilosia pagana

 Epistrophe eligans

 Rhingia campestris

 Syritta pipiens

 Egg of Parasyrphus nigritarsis (white) in the centre of Green Dock Beetle egg cluster (orange). The larva will hatch just before the beetle and devour a combination of all the eggs and beetle larva.

 Large Red Damselfly

The Water Scavenging Beetle Sphaeridium lunatum.

Grapholita jungiella new for valley

While hoverating at Blaencaerau last week, I came across this moth, surprisingly we had not recorded it in the valley before even though it is fairly common outside the valley. I sent a pic to Sid to confirm before I posted and then forgot about it. It is number 929 for the valley.

Grapholita jungiella