Lletty Brongu woods [SS8788] - 100 species of hoverfly

 Lletty Brongu woods [SS8788] is the 3rd 1km square in the valley to achieve the 100 species status, following on from Garnwen (west) [now 111] and Blancaerau [now 117]. The area consists of country lanes heavily covered in umbellifers and ancient woodland surrounding the valleys main river and sewage works.

It is usually the first place in the valley to host emerging spring hoverflies being only 90mts above sea-level and spring is usually 2 weeks earlier here than the top of the valley. Records and species numbers start in week 12 [March] but don't really pick up until week 22 [late May] which coincides with the first umbellifers blooming like Hemlock-water droplet and Ground Elder which carpet the woods and hoverflies become much easier to record. Numbers stay high then until week 32 [mid August] when numbers start to tail off. The last records are from week 44 [mid October] when the last of the Ivy is in flower. Two more 1km squares are close to achieving the 100 species status those being Gilfach (west) [98] and Mynydd Bach (south) [94]. 

Spring

specialities - Cheilosia grossa, Cheilosia albipila, Psilota anthracina, Ferdinandea cuprea and Brachyopa scuterallis.

Summer

specialities - Cheilosia lasiopa, Cheilosia vulpina, Eupeodes nitens, Parasyrphus nigritasris and Xylota xanthocnema. 

Autumn

specialities - Rhingia rostrata, Scaeva pyrastri, Scaeva selenitica, Sericomyia superbiens and Xanthandrus comtus.

Species in red are rare or scarce for Glamorgan and Wales and those in blue are migrants.

Sericomyia superbiens