Roadside Verge at Honeydon in June

One of the best roadside verges in Bedfordshire, just south of the hamlet of Honeydon. It is particularly impressive at the moment (June).

Three Bedfordshire rarities are found there, from front to back, Sulphur Clover, Crested Cow-wheat and Spiked Star-of-Bethlehem.

A closer view of Crested Cow-wheat and Spiked Star-of-Bethlehem.

Another new micro for Beds

Pempelia Palumbella - photo by Colin Campbell

Pempelia Palumbella, The Lodge, 2nd June 2011 - a new micro moth for Bedfordshire, found on the old heath.

Rare Wasp?

I'm still waiting for confirmation but I believe this to be a female Odynerus melanocephalus a nationally "Notable A" species, seen today at Sandy Smith NR.

If anyone sees a wasp like this, with wings folded lengthways and white (rather than yellow) bands on the abdomen, please let me know, as it may be this species. It would be good to know where else it may be...

Keith Balmer

Denisia albimaculea new to Bedfordshire

The photo below is of a micro-moth that landed on the sheet at a mothing event at Ampthill Park on Saturday night 27th May 2011. It is Denisia albimaculea and is a new addition to the county list. Photo by Melissa Banthorpe.

Common Heath moth

One of the day-flying moths which does not appear from the records to be particularly numerous or widespread in Bedfordshire. This individual was photographed at Heath and Reach 19th May.

A scarce longhorn & a beautiful bug

The longhorn beetle Anaglyptus mysticus is nationally scarce apparently - not sure of it's status in Bedfordshire. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think the iridescent colours of the Forest Bug final instar nymph make it rather pretty. Both were at The Lodge, Sandy on 16/5/11.

First Post

Although I've been running my own blogs for a few years now, I'm a new name on the Beds Flora & Fauna blog, so a big Hello to all!

For my first post here, I've chosen a few images taken a few weeks back amongst the gorgeous bluebells of Kingswood, near Houghton Conquest, and a local dragon' from a few days ago in Cople.

Backlight

Orange Tip



Backlight 2

 

Orange Tip

Broad-bodied Chaser

Scarce Chaser & Cockchafer

Cockchafer and Scarce Chaser female at The Lodge 10/5/11

Green Hairstreaks & Hairy Dragonfly

Green Hairstreaks and a Hairy Dragonfly at the Marston Vale Country Park. Photos by Dave Ball.

Many-lined new for county

A complete surprise for Tony Lawrence when he cheked his moth trap this morning in Eaton Ford, and a great addtion to the VC30 list. Photo Melissa Banthorpe

Dingy Skipper & Light Brocade

Dingy Skipper on Birdsfoot Trefoil at Stewartby Lake

Light Brocade, caught by Martin Palmer in his moth trap at Kempston.

Photographs by Martin Green.

Hairy Dragonfly - MVCP

A Hairy Dragonfly that alighted briefly in the MVCP Sensory Garden. Photograph by Martin Green.

Dragonflies and a Red-and-Black Froghopper (?)

Four-spotted Chaser - MVCP Boardwalk

Hairy Dragonfly - MVCP Sensory Garden

Two photos of what appears from a brief Internet search to be a Red-and-Black Froghopper (?) which was near the railway line between the MVCP and Rookery. (On the MVCP side...) Anyone know if this is a common bug in the county...? Photographs by Martin Green.

White-marked

One to MV light at Chicksands Wood 15/4/2011, although rather worn, and exactly the same place where Andy and I had one in March. Photo: Melissa Banthorpe

Mystery Beetle?- Solved

Hi all, my son found this on my rear patio in Upper Caldecote on 12th April. Having looked through my insect books I still have no idea what it is. Approx. 12mm long. Does anyone know what it is, as I'm sure I've never seen one before.

It looks like this is a Cramp-ball Fungus Weevil Platyrhinus resinosus. Identified by Andy Whitney.

Speckled Wood

One of two Speckled Wood butterflies near the MVCP Pillinge. Photo my Martin Green.

An Emperor gets his wings

Andy checked the Emperor pupae on his way out to work this morning and this male had emerged from the pupa and was looking for somewhere to perch whilst inflating his wings. I took some photos as it happened and three are below.

Blossom Underwing - new to Bedfordshire

Peter Almond brought a moth that he caught in his garden moth trap last night (28th March) along to the Bird Club meeting tonight to show Melissa and I. We confirmed it as the county's first record of Blossom Underwing, Orthosia miniosa. Melissa has taken some photos and two of these are below. Superficially, to the untrained eye, it looks like an odd Common Quaker but if you are familiar with Blossom Underwing then the dark "saddle" and the very pale hindwings stand out. A very good catch and the second macro-moth species to be added to the county list in 2011.

Comma

Comma, in a Yelden garden, 23rd March 2011 by Mike Neal

MVCP - Jubilee Cottage outlook

A panorama made from four photos showing the view from the MVCP Jubille Cottages outlook. There is a fair amount of water there at the moment so worth checking for waders etc... if you are visiting.
(Although none were present when I was there today) Photo by Martin Green

Isomira murina

I took this on 14/6/10 at the Lodge hoping it might be a Larch Ladybird, but I'm pretty sure it's not. An id still eludes me, perhaps one of the leaf beetles - can anybody help? It's small, about 5-6mm.
Expert concensus from various sources: Isomira murina - thanks to all.

Stewartby Lake sunrise

A few photos of the rather good sunrise at Stewartby Lake, taken from the gullwatch. Photos by Martin Green.

Foggy Stewartby Lake - 31st December 2010

A bank of fog across the middle of Stewartby Lake, seen from the gullwatch. Photo by Martin Green.

Marston Vale Country Park in the snow...

A panorama of the ice-bound Pillinge lake, taken from the hide.

The visitors centre.

Yesterday 12 Dec 2010 my wife and son (Pattie and Thomas Outen) went to purchase a Christmas Tree from our local farm at Clifton Bury. They told me that some of the trees had galls on them. I checked thees out and identified them as caused by the Homopteran bug Adelges abietis. Sean Karley has confirmed my identification and tells me that "this species was already on the checklist for Beds, but without any localised record; it has one now!"

MVCP - Pillinge Panoramas

A view over the MVCP Pillinge Lake from the Wetland 3 bank.

The view from the MVCP Pillinge hide.

Both of these photos were taken using my Canon S95 compact camera and stitched together using Photoshop Elements. The final images were made up from about 8 or 9 individual photos each. These are very compressed versions of the panoramas, both full-size versions are about 17,000 pixels long... Photos by Martin Green