Death's-head Hawk-moth in a Flitwick garden

A Death's-head Hawk-moth, Acherontia atropos, was found dead in a Flitwick garden on 3rd December 2013. It was collected from the finder and is now in the possession of the county macro-moth recorders, Andy & Melissa Banthorpe. We do not know how long it was there but when found it had several snail trails covering the wings.

This is the 24th county record and the first since ones in Sandy & Stotfold in 1996. A picture is below and thanks to the finder, Dave Simpson, for reporting it to us.

Rare/scarce moths from Totternhoe Quarry 6th July 2013

The Beds Moth Group / Wildlife Trust field meeting at Totternhoe Quarry on the evening of 6th July 2013 was very successful. 112 species seen and great to have over 50 lekking male Ghost moths - a county record!
The best finds are listed below followed by photos of some of them:-

550  Coleophora silenella – first county record – a case feeder on the seed of Bladder Campion. Identified by David Manning by dissection.

595  Elachista biatomella – 3^rd county record – a leafminer of grasses. Identified by David Manning by dissection.

727a  Metzneria aprilella – 4^th county record and first since 1998  - feeds on Greater Knapweed (prev records from Cockayne Hatley RIS trap in 1986, 89, 98)

732 Eulamprotes unicolorella – 2^nd county record and first since 1983 – supposed to feed on St John’s Wort (prev record Cranfield in 1983). Identified by David Manning by dissection.

1240 Grapholita caecana – 2^nd county record – feeds on Sanfoin (prev record swept at Totternhoe Qry in 2009)

1518 Hellinsia lienigianus – 3^rd county record and first since 1999 – potted by Mike Harrison and id by Andy Whitney – feeds on Mugwort (prev records Luton airport & Cockayne Hatley RIS trap in 1999)
1843 Thyme Pug - 2^nd county record and first since two collected at Sharpenhoe in 1948. This one was a female and was identified by dissection. This feeds on Wild Thyme.

Metzneria aprilella

Grapholita caecana

 Hellinsia lienigianus

 Thyme Pug

East Hyde Wader Scrape

1409a Diaphania perspectalis - new "micro" moth to VC30

1409a Diaphania perspectalis - Luton 30th August 2013, first for Bedfordshire
With a wingspan close to 40mm this was larger than many macro-moths in the trap

From VC30 Micromoth recorder, David Manning: This is a species first recorded in UK in 2008. It is a pest of Buxus (Box) and is presumed to have arrived via the horticultural trade [from Asia]. Recorded to date in eight counties, the most northerly being Herts, Bucks and Glos.

Clouded Yellow

Not the best image, but the first I have captured of this species. This individual was on the site of the old Brogborough tip on Saturday 7th Sept.

Gold Spot

This photo really doesn't do this species any justice. They almost glow in the sunlight! One of the most striking moths in Britain.

Gold Spot- Upper Caldecote- 4th September 2013

Wasp Spider at Broom GPs

This was found today by the sharp-eyed Ian Woiwood during a guided walk around the gravel pit complex at Broom. It's the first time I've seen this species.

Wasp Spider- Broom GPs- 18th August 2013

Sharp-angled Carpet

Sharp-angled Carpet,  The Lodge, 22nd July 2013

Variable Damselfly found on the R Ivel at South Mills by Ian Dawson

Caterpillars

Some caterpillars are more impressive than the flying moths that come after. Here are two I discovered while exploring around MVCP on Saturday morning, captured on my phone.

 Drinker

Mullein

Purple Emperor

Purple Emperor, Chicksands Wood, 13th July 2013.  A couple more here.

Dotted Rustic and Dark Arches

Dotted Rustic, Biggleswade, 5th July 2013

Dark Arches of the form f. aethiops, Biggleswade, 7th July 2013

Interesting Buff Ermine

Found this rather odd-looking Buff Ermine in our Lower Stondon moth-trap this morning, amongst the best lot of moths we've had so far this year in the garden.

Photo: Melissa Banthorpe

Hairy

In the brick pits this afternoon, June 23rd... Hairy Dragonfly
Nice to see one so well to capture the hairs

Grizzled Skipper

Grizzled Skipper, Rookery South ClP, 2nd June 2013

Plane-tree Bug (Arocatus longiceps) at RSPB The Lodge TL188480 on 24/10/12 - confirmed by county recorder Bernard Nau, who thinks it may be the first record outside of central London where this immigrant species was discovered in 2007 in the grounds of the Natural History Museum.

Muntjac Deer - MVCP

Male Muntjac Deer photographed by Martin Palmer near the MVCP boardwalk close to the visitors centre.

I believe this impressive beast is a Birch Sawfly larva (Cimbex femoratus) - about 4.5 cms. On a birch trunk at The Lodge 12/10/12.

Common Darter and Pillinge view - MVCP

A Common Darter in the MVCP Sensory Garden by the visitors centre, and the view from the Pillinge hide. Photos by Martin Green.

Tim Robson's Grass Snake

Tim Robson's wife took theese two pictures of a Grass Snake in their Bedfiordshire garden on the 18th September 2012.  Actually it looks as if the snake was more on the patio than in the garden.
Grass Snakes will be looking to hibernate at this time of the year, often in a compost heap or similar site. Grass Snakes are not poisonous and will eat a lot of garden pests so are the 'gardeners friend'.

Posted by David Anderson.

Late flying White-legged Damselfly

This late flying male White-legged Damselfly was photgraphed by Andrew Makeham in the field stream next to the River Ouse at Kempston on the 9th September 2012.

Is this an image of a Common Hawker dragonfly?

Photograph of a possible Common Hawker dragonfly taken at Keysoe in North Bedfordshire by Bob Bellamy on the 3rd of August 2012.  Common Hawker is not a species seen in Bedfordshire and known sites are a considerable distance away.  The species is fairly similar to Migrant Hawker and careful attention to details are necessary to seperate the two species, particularly to see the yellow leading edge to the wings.

 

Wood Mouse - Kempston

This photo was taken by Martin Palmer in his garden in Kempston. As Martin said not all that come to his garden birdfeeders are avian, this Wood Mouse is a regular visitor searching for fallen seeds.

Jersey Tiger in Kempston

This Jersey Tiger was photographed in his Kempston Garden on 22nd August 2012 by Martin Palmer. It is the 3rd record for Bedfordshire following records at Biggleswade in 2009 and Bromham in 2011.

Dark Spinach in Lower Stondon

A Dark Spinach on 11th August was a new moth for our garden and the third record for the county this year, following ones at Biggleswade and Bromham earlier in the year. Photo: Melissa Banthorpe

Small Ranunculus moth larvae are about now

Checking some Prickly Lettuce, Lactuca serriola, in Kempston today I found 15 larvae of the Small Ranunculus moth. These distinctive larvae are green or brown and and can be hard to find but look for plants where the flower buds have been obviously eaten away. The larvae tend to rest along the stalks.

Below are a couple of photos taken today (8th August) and also the distribution map of the species in Bedfordshire up to the end of 2011.

Please look out for these and report your findings with count, location and a photo if you are not sure to Melissa and I as we are the county Macro-moth recorders (macromoths@bnhs.org.uk)

Two quite well grown larvae

A single larva eating a flower bud

Distribution of Small Ranunculus in Beds up to the end of 2011

Purple Emperor

It's only taken me four years to seen one of these things on the ground at Chicksands.  Purple Emperor, Chicksands Wood, 22nd July 2012. (ps not a bad photo considering it was taken using my phone!)

Black beetle duo

Beetles are a species group that I know little about, other than the well-known and more distinctive species (partly because I have not really looked much). Here are two black ones that I have come across, one I recognised and one I don't...

Minotaur Beetle found in Rowney Warren at the end of April while unsuccessfully searching for potential Firecrest, Woodlark and Tree Pipit in what looked like suitable habitat. First I had seen.

UnID beetle from my garden moth trap, 28th June, Thanks to replies received, seems to be Nicrophorus humator which I have had in the garden twice before but previously looked longer than this. Seem to remember the previous one being a bit smelly as well...

Horned Leafhopper (Ledra aurita) - our largest leafhopper at c.15mm (5p) - The Lodge 2/7/2012  at TL187479. Not often seen because of damn good camouflage!

Interesting micro moths from King's Wood

Three interesting tortrix micro-moths caught in King's Wood Heath & Reach on the Beds Moth Group field trip on 26th May 2012

Capua vulgella - new to Bedfordshire

 Lobesia reliquella - the first Beds record since publication of the Victoria County History in 1904

Epinotia tetraquetrana - the 3rd Beds record (the other two were at Sutton Fen in 1982)