North Uist Machair

We have spend a wonderful week on the North Uist Machair. This rare habitat is formed by small fragments of shell, blown inland towards the peat further inland, with the grass and wildflowers managed in a traditional way and crops and fertilised with seaweed. The landscape is wonderful, with the sandy beaches on the windswept west coast becoming wildflower meadows. The habitat is alive with breeding waders and insects, and there are some wonderful olants to be found.

The commonest plant on our visit was Birdsfoot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus, with a sea of yellow acress the landscape. I have never seen this growing in such abundance.

Birdsfoot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus

There was a large amount of Common Storksbill Erodium cicutarium, with beautiful patches of this pink member of the geranium family.

Common Storksbill Erodium cicutarium

On the cultivated ground we found large amounts of the yellow-flowered seaside curtisii subspecies of Wild Pansy Viola tricolor. 

Wild Pansy Viola tricolor spp. curtisii

Not yet in flower, but in evidence everywhere where the leaves of Yellow Rattle Rinanthus minor. Not a plant that I was expecting to see in the machair, and something that I have been pleased to establish in my own garden.

Yellow Rattle Rinanthus minor

On several sites we found the coccinea subspecies of the Early Marsh Orchid Dactlyorhiza incarnata. This subspecies gets it name from the rich cochineal-red flowers, and is found on sand dune systems.

Early Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza incarnata spp. coccinea

There was also some Kidney Vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, but we only found this on a couple of sites when I though it would be much more common.

Kidney Vetch Anthyllis vulneraria

In the zone on and behind the beeches there was abundant Sea Sandwort Honckenya peploides and the characteristic pink patches of Thrift Armeria maritima.

Sea Sandwort Honckenya peploides

Thrift Armeria maritima

Everywhere we looked the Machair was humming with bees. The Moss Carder Bee Bombus muscorum was abundant.

Pollinator on the Machair

A wonderful habitat, and one we have decided to return to. We did not see the machair at its best. It has been a slow year with the cold spring, and a visit in July is in order in future years.

The Machair

Insh by Insh

Our holiday in the Highlands saw us take a day out to the wonderful RSPB Insh Marshes reserve. This is a wonderful place for anyone interested in entomology, with the variety of habitats, including a fabulous stand of Aspen Populus tremula. We hoped that we may find an Aspen Hoverfly Hammerschmidtia ferruginea, but alas it was not to be. We did see some fabolous insects, the best of which was a Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth Hemaris tityus, which did not stay still for a photograph but caused great excitement.

There best photograph I managed was of a very familiar species, the Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines. I love the green patterning on the underwing of this species

Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines

Other insects currently remain unidentifed, but worth posting just the same. There were several Empid dagger flies on the abundant Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea. 

Empid species

This sawfly is probably Rhogogaster viridis, though with little expereince of this group I would not want to rule out any of the other similar species.

Probable Rhogogaster viridis

Unusually for me, I found a tortrix moth that I have been unable to identify. I am still working on it, but may need to phone a friend eventually.

Tortrix species

The pictures do not tell the full story of what a wonderful place Insh Marshes is. I will surely return someday in the not to distant future, perhaps a couple of weeks later in the year to catch up with that hoverfly.

The First First

I have been hoping that I may eventually score a new county record in Batch Valley, and last night I had confirmation that I had succeeded. Whilst I would have liked this be some stunning beetle or bug, or a new macro species in the moth trap, it was always more likely to come from one of the less recorded taxa, and so it was.

We are blessed in Shropshire with having a number of entomologists who are not only highly capable, but also happy to receive photographs and help to identify difficult species. Among their number is Pete Boardman, who whilst I have only met once had been full of support and ready to respond to entomological questions, particularly when it comes to craneflies.

When I returned from Pembrokeshire on 10 May, I noticed a cranefly on the side of the house. It looked different, so I took a couple of photographs with a view to sending them to Pete. Yesterday I finally got around to going through my recent pictures and sent them off to him. The reply came back very quickly.

"That's Triogma trisulcata - one of the Cylindrotomidae (long bodied craneflies) and it is NEW TO SHROPSHIRE :-) Fantastic stuff, it's a species I had hoped would turn up. If you look on the NBN Gateway you'll see it isn't a particularly common species in the Midlands"

Triogma trisulcata

Triogma trisulcata

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

Sniper vs Robber

Bank holiday Monday was livened up late on by the discovery of a couple of interesting Diptera in the garden. The first was on the outside wall of the kitchen, I was fortunately coming back from doing some sweep netting on Novers Hills so my net was on hand to quickly catch it.

A quick look in the pot revealed a wonderful looking fly, large with a distinctive posture on long stilit-like legs, a colourful orange body and distinctive wing pattern. It did not take too long to narrow it down to one of the Rhagionidae - Snipe flies. The distincytive posture, body colour and wing markings help to identify this as a Downlooker Snipefly Rhagio scolopaceus. This is a wonderful fly, with mouthparts designed for piercing the smaller insects that it predates.

Downlooker Snipefly Rhagio scolopaceus

Downlooker Snipefly Rhagio scolopaceus

Later on this evening I found another fly sitting motionless on the Marsh Marigold in our new pond. I was very excited, I knew immediately that it was one of the Robberflys, the Asilidae. This is a family that I have been really wanting to see, basically because they are just fabulous insects. The fly sat motionless for several minutes, allowing me to get some pictures. Having had a good look and comparing my pictures to ID resources, I was able to confidently identify this as a Stripe-legged Robberfly Dioctria baumhauri.

Stripe-legged Robberfly Dioctria baumhauri

Bugging

I had a walk up Novers Hill this afternoon, and decided to sweep the Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). This was quite productive with three species of bugs found.

In good numbers were Ditropis pteridis, a bracken specilaist. Perhaps not the most attractive bug, this planthopper appear to be a common species on the abundant bracken.

Ditropis pteridis

There was also a species of lacebug, a group of bugs that i am not familiar with. This proved to be Tachycixius pilosus, a species usually found in long grass.

Tachycixius pilosus

I also found large numbers of this bug, which I have not been able to identify. More work I think, and I will update the blog when I get an answer.

unidentified bug

Flying high

A good session with the MV Robinson trap provided my second highest haul of the year, with 119 moths of 34 species. As with becoming regular with this trap, I am recording new species at a fierce rate.

The crowd-pleasers last night were two of these Waved Umber Menophra abruptaria. Despite its curious appearance, this is a common species and one I have been expecting to get in some numbers, particularly as one of the food plants for the larvae is Garden Privet Ligustrum ovalifolium.

Waved Umber Menophora abruptaria

I get quite a few species in the garden that are associated with moorland (though the Long Mynd itself is not moorland by definition, it is an extensive upland heath). A new species for me, and one again associated with this habitat, was this Pale-shouldered Brocade Lacanobia thalassina.

Pale-shouldered Brocade Lacanobia thalassina

And so into the micromoths, and there were three particularly nice species. First up is Aspilapteryx tringipennella, which rests hugh on its front legs in a similar manner to the Caloptilla.

Aspilapteryx tringipennella

Next is Epiblema scutulana, which is one of the Tortricidae and uses thistles as food plants for the larvae.

Epiblema scutulana

I will finish off however with one of my favourite macromoths. I love the fine detail of the patterning and the 'shouldery' shape of the May Highflyer Hydriomena impluviata. The two thin black streaks just below the pale band towars the edge of the forewing are the key distinction for identification for the July Highflyer (the month in which you see the moth makes little difference!). This moth needs Alder Alnus glutinosa as a food plant for the larvae, which spin the leaves together in the autumn.

May Highflyer Hydriomena impluviata