Mynydd Bach (south) cemetery area

 30 species of hoverfly registered today. With Leucozona glaucia making it 99 for the 1km square and Helophilus hybridus making it 100 for the valley this year once again (7th year on the trot). Other highlights were Chrysotoxum arcuatum, Chrysotoxum festivum, Xanthogramma pedissequum, Riponnensia splendens, Eristalis intricaria, Sericomyis silentis and Volucella pellucens. Most numerous species was Eristalis tenax (80).

A latish Broad-bodied Chaser was unexpected otherwise only highlight was the finding of the plant Alsike Clover a first for me although it does seem to be on the valley list.

Sericomyia silentis

Broad-bodied Chaser

Common Darter mating

Alsike Clover

Foel Fawr, Caerau

 Only had a short time after a family get together, to go for a walk, so decided to walk Foel Fawr (well the part in the Caerau 1km square anyhow) not far from the house. The area is regenerating former forestry clear-fell, with lots of plants like Angelica, Hemp Agrimony and Common Fleabane having some good patches before the Himalayan Balsam will eventually take over. I hadn't recorded much on previous visits but today I recorded 26 species of hoverfly. Highlights being Chrysotoxum arcuatum, Eupeodes latifasciatus and Xanthogramma pedissequum. The commonest hoverfly was Eristalis pertinax (85).

Chrysotoxum arcuatum

Cheilosia bergenstammi

Eristalis horticola

Syrphus ribesii

Most of the old forestry paths have been left to nature, this is where the wild flowers tend to congregate

 

Garnwen (lower moors)

 A warm sunny day at 24c brought out 31 species of hoverfly, which is a good count for this time of year. Highlights included and Eriozona syrphoides, Chrysotoxum arcuatum, all 3 Leucozona which doesn't happen very often, Melangyna umbellatarum, Scaeva selentitica, Xanthogramma pedissequum and Sphegina eligans.

My yearly sighting of Nowickia ferox (tachinidae fly) was finally achieved and 12 species of butterfly were on the wing with Painted Lady in good numbers and looking freshly emerged.

Eriozona syrphoides

Leucozona lucorum

Nowickia ferox

Garnwen slope covered in Hemp Agrimony and a magnet for the larger hoverflies such as Eristalis pertinax (170) and Eristalis tenax (105).

Caerau/Spelter

 This is the time of the year when things start to slow down on the hoverfly front, decreasing slowly until the end of season roughly the second week of October. There are three very important feeding plants around this time of year and they are Devilsbit Scabious, Goldenrod and Water Mint. Devilsbit Scabious is only now starting to bloom with about 40% in flower, so the best is yet to come. Goldenrod has had a poor year with only a few plants blooming at the usual sites and only holding one Star-wort moth caterpillar. Water Mint however is having a good year and has expanded from the old railway line brook all along the fence line on the opposite side of the track. Brooklime is also partly in bloom along the brook, not a common plant in the valley. There are also small patches of Tansy, Upright Hedge Parsley and a single Wild Parsnip umbellifer to attract hoverflies at Spelter.

On my walk I recorded 23 species of hoverfly, the star being a male Volucella zonaria near the white house in Newtown. A Melangyna umbellatarum was seen egg laying on Hogweed flowerheads and 6 Volucella pellucens was a good count. Commonest species by far today was Eristalis tenax numbering 213.

Other insects included half a dozen Painted Lady and Small Copper, a female Stictoleptura rubra longhorn beetle and a Physocephela rufipes conopid fly. Nothing much on the bird front though.

Volucella zonaria

Helophilus trivittatus

Volucella pellucens

Scaeva pyrastri

Star-wort moth ceterpillar

female Stictoleptura rubra

Brimstone moth

Painted Lady

Physocephela rufipes

Gilfach (west), Point to Point

 Temperatures continued in the 30's and topped out at 34c today, but there were still a few hoverflies braving the heat. I recorded 195 hoverflies of 21 species which wasn't to bad considering. New for the year were Eupeodes latifasciatus, Eristalis intricaria and Sphegina eligans (numbers 97, 98 & 99 for the year). Nice records included Chrysotoxum bicinctum, Dasysyrphus tricinctus, Leucozona glaucia, Melangyna compositarum  and Melangyna umbellatarum. Most numerous species was Eristalis pertinax (50). 

As expected lots of butterflies about today best being Painted Lady and Wall. Another Cinnamon Bug was spotted otherwise fairly quite on the insect front beside the usual suspects.

Dasysyrphus tricinctus

Eristalis intricaria

Eupeodes latifasciatus

Painted Lady

Wall

Cefn Ydfa " zero hoverfly" 1km square no more

 After failing miserably on Saturday trying to put Mynydd Bach (south) through the 100 species barrier (stuck on 98), I decided to visit a 1km square with zero records to finish off the week. The square SS8786 named Cefn Ydfa looked challenging. When I arrived I noticed nearly all the paths were covered in the dreaded Himalayan Balsam and even the path to the woods was too overgrown to walk. There were virtually no native wild flowers in bloom. I continued to walk the track hoping for some umbellifers. Right at the end where there is a gate to the house on the hill was a tiny patch of sunlight where there was a gap in the balsam and to my delight a fair patch of Upright Hedge Parsley in bloom with a few other plants. Bingo hoverflies were all over it and I recorded 15 species in 20 minutes there. Mostly common stuff but they all count, Best being Chrysotoxum bicinctum, Myathropa florea and Cheilosia scutellata. I also manged to find and photograph my second only Cinnamon Bug (Corizus hyoscyami).

Tiny patch of hope (Upright Hedge Parsley) at Cefn Ydfa

Myathropa florea

Cinnamon Bug

So another 1km square bites the dust only 2 left now, I think I'll save them for next year in June when there should be more hoverflies around as they are both mountain top squares.

With time to spare (not yet midday) I decided to stop at the Llangynwyd viaduct farm lanes as they had a good crop of Wild flowers in bloom on my visit 2 weeks ago. Disaster, some donk had used a strimmer to cut back the lane edges chopping down all the wild flowers and leaving only Himalayan balsam. The Hogweed were keeping the balsam in check, another insect rich site ruined. Not to be out done by I walked the village lanes which held plenty of Hogweed and garden flowers to attract hoverflies of which I recorded 20 species with new for the year in Melangyna umbellatarum and Lejogaster metallina (number 95 & 96). With quite a few commoner species to get and specimens I should get to 100 species for the year, if I haven't already done so with specimens.

Old and twisted Oak - a bit like me

Volucella bombylans - quite a late date

Eriothrix rufiomaculata (tachinidae fly)

It was now the warmest part of the day at 2pm and the temperature had reached 24c quite rapidly, so a quick final stop at Maesteg Golf Course produced another 20 species of hoverfly, nothing new for the year, best being Leucozona glaucia, Leucozona laternaria and Volucella pellucens. Sadly back to work tomorrow, at least I'm afternoons and don't have to get up at 0430 in the morning

Riponnensia splendens

Figwort Sawfly

Liriomyza eupatorii leaf-mine (fly) on Hemp Agrimony

Garnwen part 2

 Again lots of hoverflies about today, but only 28 species, lots of blooming Angelica, Hemp Agrimony, Common Fleabane, Common Ragwort and even Yarrow being used. Good sightings included Baccha elongata (1), Chrysotoxum bicinctum(1), Dasysyrphus albostriatus (1),Eupeodes corollae (1), Eupeodes luniger (2), Leucozona glaucia (11), Xanthogramma pedissequum (1), Sericomyis silentis (7) and more Volucella pellucens (9). Most numerous hoverflies were Eristalis pertinax (190), Eristalis tenax (80) and Platycheirus albimanus (42).

Pretty quiet on the bird front except for immature Common Redstart and Willow Warbler and a brief Goshawk flyover.

Eristalis arbustorum - having a poor year

Eupeodes luniger

Leucozona glaucia

Sericomyia silentis

Syrphus ribesii

Volucella pellucens - having a very good year

Xanthogramma pedissequum

immature Common Redstart

Garnwen part 1

 A few photos of various insect species from yesterday

Black Darter near top pond

Bloody-nosed Beetle

Evergestis pallidata - pyralid moth

Painted Lady caterpillar - first I've seen

Rush Veneer - migrant Pyralid Moth

male Stictoleptura rubra - ever present for a scarce species