Spelter

 The Spelter is essentially just a football field size colliery spoil meadow, with the rest of the square being urban areas. Nevertheless at this time of year a new selection of blooming flowers always attracts a lot of hoverflies. The dominant blossoms in order were Water Mint, Wild Parsnip, Upright Hedge Parsley, Common Ragwort and now even a small patch of Devilsbit Scabious. So here I had 28 species some in good numbers over 2 hours on Sunday. Again I recorded another female Volucella zonaria. Other highlights included Chrysotoxum bicinctum, Eupeodes latifasciatus, Scaeva pyrastri, Helophilus trivittatus and Volucella pellucens. Eristalis tenax (65) was the most numerous.

Volucella zonaria

Cheilosia illustrata

Scaeva pyrastri

Chrysotoxum bicinctum

Syritta pipiens

Volucella pellucens

Lots of Butterflies were about and I managed a photo of the scarce Essex Skipper.

Caerau

 Hoverfly numbers are starting to drop steadily now, but I still managed 23 species at Caerau. The Devilsbit Scabious has mostly yet to bloom, probably about 10 days away for that. Otherwise Rhingia rostrata was the highlight, this formerly scarce species seems to be having a good year. As does Volucella zonaria which was seen in lanes at the back of Caerau Road. Eristalis tenax (35) was the most numerous.

Volucella zonaria

Rhingia rostrata

Platycheirus granditarsus

Gilfach (west) - Saturday

 Although hoverfly numbers are still quite high, there is now a notable decline from two weeks ago. This is the time of the year when plants such as Water Mint, Angelica, Devilsbit Scabious and Goldenrod come into bloom, which tend to attract and concentrate hoverflies making them easier to find. Top Llangynwyd produced 31 species without walking to far from the car. Plentiful species included Episyrphus balteatus (40), Eristalis nemorum (50), Eristalis pertinax (80) and Eristalis tenax (45). The more interesting species were Dasysyrphus tricinctus, Eupeodes latifasciatus, Leucozona lucorum. Rhingia rostrata and Eristalis intricaria 

Cheilosia bergenstammi

Chrysogaster solstitialis

Dasysyrphus tricinctus

Eristalis arbustorum

Eristalis horticola

Eristalis intricaria

Eristalis nemorum

Eupeodes corollae

Eupeodes latifasciatus

Helophilus pendulus

Leucozona lucorum

Rhingia campestris

Syrphus ribesii

The Weekend - some flowering plants

 The mountains and grasslands are full of flowers and garden escapes at this time of year. Here's a photos of some of them.

Bell Heather

Betony

Common Centuary

Silverweed

Douglas Spirea (garden escape)

Garden Cosmos "Pink Sensation" (garden escape)

The Weekend - other insects

 17 species of Butterfly were seen headed by Essex Skipper and Painted Lady at Blaencaerau/Mynydd Bach (west), must be some sort of record for the valley. As was 21 individuals of the longhorn beetle Stictoleptura rubra feeding on Angelica. Other insect families were abundant and represented by the following photos as well as many Common Lizards.

Stictoleptura rubra

Painted Lady

Southern Hawker

Phaulernis fulvigutella

Straw Underwing (ID'd by P. Parsons)

Linnaemyia vulpina (tachind fly)

Common Lizard

The Weekend - top of the valley

 Two good days of hoverfly recording at Blaencaerau (34 species) and Mynydd Caerau [west] (32 species) saw a total of 45 species seen, with the majority in good numbers particularly Eristalis pertinax (230), Cheilosia impressa (136), Eristalis tenax (93) and a record count of Cheilosia bergenstammi (34). Some of the highlights included Chrysotoxum festivum, Dasysyrphus tricinctus, Leucozona laternaria, Megasyrphus erratica (number 99 for the year), Helophilus hybridus, Helophilus trivittatus and Xylota jakutorum (scarce this year). Hoverfly numbers should stay high for the next two weeks and then start winding down sharply.

Chrysotoxum bicinctum

Dasysyrphus tricinctus

Eristalis intricaria

Helophilus trivittatus

Melangyna umbellatarum

Scaeva pyrastri

Xanthogramma pedissequum s.l.

Last few days

 The hoverfly irruption began on the 3rd of August, with hoverflies virtually everywhere particularly on Hogweed, Common Ragwort and various thistles. Big numbers of some species like Eristalis pertinax (260), Syritta pipiens (260), Eristalis nemorum (120), Melanostoma scalare (71), Chrysogaster solstitialis (65), and Eristalis arbustorum (56). I recorded 40 species in total from Gilfach (west), Lletty Brongu lanes and Cwmfelin Park. New for the year were Melangyna umbellatarum, Syrphus vitripennis, Cheilosia scutellata and Volucella zonaria (in all 3 locations) taking me to 98 species for the year. Syrphus have finally emerged with all three species recorded for the first time this year, with Syrphus torvus (20) in good numbers. Other highlights include Dasysyrphus albostriatus, Cheilosia vernalis, Epistrophe glossulariae, Riponnensia splendens and record numbers of Myathropa florea (31).

Volucella pellucens

Volucella zonaria

Cheilosia scutellata

Epistrophe grossulariae

Rutpela maculata

Oncotylus viridflavus - new for the valley (larva foodplant - Knapweeds)

Sulphur Beetle at Gilfach (west) - The only place in the valley to see this mainly coastal/lowland species.