It is getting well into insect season here on the reserve and all we need now is for the rain to stop for long enoug for the sun to come out and warm our bones and those tough little invert exoskeletons...
A few pockets of such warmth have occured since Wednesday (but defintely not today!!!!) and as such those with an eye for such things have been out and about looking for the small denizens of the marsh...
Dragonflies are still very scarce but there are now a few Black-tailed Skimmers and Broad Bodied Chasers on the wing and the first Emperor and Brown Hawkers have been seen patrolling the ditches
Black-tailed Skimmer - Basil Thornton
Broad Bodied Chaser - Alasdair Wilcock
Hoverflies are slowly appearing and we are trying to get to grips with all the finer details of identification in the same way you would for a bird.
Eristilinus sepulchralis - Carol Gardner
Helophilus pendulus - Jerry Hoare
Meredon equestris - Jerry Hoare
Tropidia scita - HTV
Volucella pellucens - Jerry Hoare
The first day flying moths are also out with Lattice Heath, Mother Shipton and Cinnabar being seen in the grassy margins and it will not be too long before our similarly attired Burnet Moths appear too..
Mother Shipton - Can you see the old witches head?? - Stephen Young
Butterflies are going through the mid June lull but a few Essex and Large Skippers have been seen along with a couple of Meadow Browns and there are now plenty of powdery Holly Blues zipping around.
Large Skipper - Michael Jones
male Meadow Brown - Ken Bentley
Caterpillars of various species are now obvious with tents of Lackey moths in the hawthorns (stay away from these as they have irritating hairs!), heaps of Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock devouring Nettles, Drinker moth cats and the odd immature Emperor moth cat lounging on the pathways and one of my favourites the very hairy Garden Tiger...
Garden Tiger ... who would want to eat that?? - Ken Bentley
On top of this every flower is currently home to at least one Odemera nobilis - the Fat Thighed Flower Beetle with his shiny armour and body builder legs....
Odemera nobilis - Stephen Young
So there is plenty to see out on the trails even if you think that it is quiet and that there are only our breeding birds to be seen... there is always something to capture the eye and imagination...
20-6-16