weekly photo round-up

Eupeodes corollae

Cerodontha iraeos (Yellow Iris leaf-miner [Fly])

Phragmidium violaceum (Bramble Rust Fungus)

Puccinia poarum (Coltsfoot Rust Fungus)

Field Grasshopper

Volucella pellucens

Top Llan - Sunday

A slightly better day today for hoverflies, with 20 species seen in the 22c heat. First of the year (in fact 2 years) in Scaeva selenitica. With The S. selenitica and Episyrphus balteatus (28) making their way north-west there seemed to be a bit of hoverfly migration happening. There was also a large emergence of Meliscaeva auricollis (74).

First Bee Beetle of the year was seen and also the soldier beetle Cantharis flavilabris was new for the valley since it's recent split from Cantharis nigra. They have different pronotum colours black in flavibris and red in nigra, will have to check back photos to see which ones I've seen. Plenty of Common Lizard were basking on the boulders that stop motorbikes entering the forestry paths.

Bee Beetle on Bramble next to a Speckled Longhorn for size comparison

Cantharis flavilabris

Common Lizard

Meliscaeva auricollis - big emergence today

Scaeva selenitica - a migrant hoverfly from mainland Europe

Mynydd Bach (south), Maesteg [SS8691]

Poor Day all round even though it was 21c at times the heavy dark cloud cover meant hovers were keeping hidden. In fact only 7 species were seen, unheard of in June, I should be hitting 30 species at this time of year. Chrysotoxum cautum was the pick of a small bunch. At times like this my mind wanders and I start looking for galls on trees and today I came up with the gall mite Aceria pseudoplatani on Sycamore, which was new for the valley. Little else to write about.

Chrysotoxum cautum

Volucella bombylans (plumata form)

Eupeodes corollae

galls on Sycamore caused by the gall mite Aceria pseudoplatani

Large Skipper

week off round-up

Weather hasn't been brilliant for my week off, hoverfly numbers have been generally low. Nevertheless I took my yearly tally to 83, this is quite poor for the time of year, I should be around 90+ species by now.

Some highlights include Platycheirus rosarum (0 seen in 2019), Chrysotoxum festivum (1m), Criorhina berberina (1f), Cheilosia lasiopa (2f), Anasymia contracta (7) and the emergence of the 2 common Volucella -  V. bombylans and V. pellucens.

On the bird front most species have now settled in with at least 3 pairs of Swift nesting in my street. Also located 2 nests of House Martin in Caerau Road. Lots of insects were new for the year (pictures below).

Volucella bombylans (red-tailed form)

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle

Rutpela maculata (longhorn beetle)

Grammoptera ruficornis (longhorn beetle)

Myopa buccata (conopid fly - 1st for me)

Burnet Companion (day flying moth)

Depressaria daucella caterpillar (micro moth specialist feeder on [Hemlock] Water Droplet plants)

Weekly round-up

I have a week off work starting tomorrow, so I'm hoping for some fine weather after the rain, which should see an explosion in aphid numbers and therefore a large increase in hoverfly numbers for the species whose larva feed on them.

Didn't get out much last week for one reason or another but here's a round-up.

23 species of hoverfly were seen, highlights included Dasysyrphus venustus (2f), Melangyna lasiophthalma (1f), Parasyrphus punctulatus (1m) and Sericomyia silentis (2). There has been a large emergence of Eristalis nemorum (32). Highlights of other insects included my first Wasp Beetle (Longhorn beetle) for a few years.

Wasp Beetle (Longhorn beetle - Clytus arietis)

Chrysogaster Solstitialis

Dasysyrphus venustus - above and below, showing the diagnostic pattern of the sternites (underneath of abdomen), which separates it from the very similar Dasysyrphus neovenustus.

Melangyna lasiophthalma - quite a late record