The Rough Road

Over the last couple of days I have been searching the bottom of the Rough Road, a bridleway that leads from Batch Valley up to Castle Hill. This has been very productive, particularly for large numbers of Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum and Dock Bug Coreus marginatus. I have also recorded my first Volucella bombylans, a hoverfly which is a bumblebee mimic, though it did not pose for a picture.

I did manage to get some pictures of some new species for the 1km square. One of the first things I potted from the sweep net was this plant bug Liocoris tripustulatus, otherwsie known as the Common Nettle Bug.

Common Nettle Bug Liocoris tripustulatus

Another bug that I have found in this are is this rhopalid bug Rhopalus subrufus, a common bug of grassy and wooded areas. There are several very similar species, though the whitish tip to the scutellum is amongst the characters that help to identify this.

Rhopalus subrufus

On a similar theme, a Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis was another nice find. Another common species, but the first I have recorded locally.

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis

I was very pleased to find a new micromoth, Micropterix aruncella, which is a small but beautiful species. This is an unusual moth as it one of a few that actually feed on the pollen of various plants.

Micropterix aruncella

Returning home today, I found this tortoise beetle on the side of the house. This is a challenging group to identify, but the wedge shaped mark and dark area on the edge of the wing cases identify this as Cassida vibex.

Cassida vibex