Wall Brown

Still hanging on in the brick pits. A second brood male Wall Brown nectaring on Knapweed.

Small Copper, form caeruleopunctata

A (second brood) Small Copper of the form caeruleopunctata found nectaring on Fleabane in the brick pits

Insects photographed 28/07/2009 in the Broom area

I'm more of a birder than anything else, but July is not very productive, so I am posting a few recent photos of dragonflies, etc. I have asked for some help with the identification of the following and offer what I have been told. Any further comments would be very welcome.

Azure Damselfly?

Brown Hawker?

Common Darter (immature male)?

Another similar Common Darter?

Black-tailed Skimmer?

Purple hairstreak

I was really lucky to find this purple hairstreak sitting calmly on a bramble at The Lodge this Sunday.

Four wings and a funeral

Came across these peacock remains yesterday at The Lodge. I think it might be the result of a hornet giving it a bit of a 'trim'.

All along one ditch!

Quite a variety of insect life. The publicised surge of painted Ladies was accurate.

new finds at the lodge

Some new finds for me yesterday at the lodge


Stictoleptura rubra female

Short-winged Conehead

A bizarre looking froghopper Ditropis pteridis, feeds on bracken so must be pretty common around here

Red-tipped Clearwing

It just took a bit of sun and the FOR lure hung on some bramble surrounded by Sallows. Although the lure had been there for 20 minutes, it wasn't until the sun came out that three, maybe four Red-tipped Clearwings flew in and hung around. My fourth species since getting the lures at the start of the month. Andy B tells me this species was recorded here in 2004.

King's Wood Heath and Reach

Good days on Saturday (18th July) and Monday (20th July) with a female Silver-washed Fritillary photographed on the first date and another (unsexed) and 2+ Purple Emperors seen, and a male SWF photographed on the 20th and record shots of a Purple Emperor. Also male and female Southern Hawkers and a Gatekeeper there (a species growing scarcer? - let's hope it doesn't do a Wall Brown!).

(Why can't Purple Emperors pose like that?)

And from the previous weekend an obliging White-letter Hairstreak at a (Purple Emperor-less for me) Chicksands Wood:

Greenhouse Dweller

I'm not sure what they eat - this is on an Aubergine leaf

Male Oak Eggar

Having photographed the female Oak eggar that emerged from her pupa last week, the last of the four emerged yesterday afternoon and is a male. If you compare it with my post from last week you will see that the male is darker with more striking contrast in the markings between the chocolate brown and the yellow markings. First photo by andy Banthorpe and side-on shot by Melissa

Yellow-legged Clearwing at the Lodge

Raspberry Clearwing Moth from Clifton

Following my postings earlier this year I have now added today the fifth Clearwing species for my garden with a single specimen of Raspberry Clearwing (Pennisetia hylaeiformis) attracted to a pheromone lure with 10 mins of putting it out!

Charles Baker recorded larval damage from this species on the raspberry canes in his garden earlier this year but this is the first Beds adult record for this species.

Eaton Ford Mothing

Any ideas for the first three here?


OK, so its a pyralid...
Beautiful Hook-tip

Pristine female Oak Eggar

When a female Oak Eggar laid 7 eggs in our garden moth trap on 5th August 2007 we tried to breed them through to adult. Four larvae survived to pupate in early January 2008 (we took them indoors to breed straight through rather than try and restart feeding in the spring).

A male and female emerged in late June 2009 but this stunning female was still drying her wings when we came in this afternoon. Overall photo by Andy Banthorpe and arty shots by Melissa.

Ruddy Darter

A rather splendid looking male posed nicely for me down on the heath pond yesterday at the lodge. As usual click on the image to see a larger version.

Birds do it, bees do it...

A Bombus terrestris couple. Nuff said.

Small copper - caeruleopunctata form?

This small copper was up at the hill fort at The Lodge. Looking closer at him, I noticed a few blue scales on the hind wing (just about visible on the close up), which you find on the caeruleopunctata form (or so I read!).