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

Ectoedemia quinquella leafmines in Oak leaf

The scans below show an Oak leaf found at The Lodge, RSPB Sandy, today. It shows the characteristic leaf mines of Ectoedemia quinquella and there are seven mines in the leaf. This species typically mines Oak leaves in November and there are often many mines in an individual leaf. Scans by Andy Banthorpe.

Norellia spinipes - Daffodil Fly

This fly species was present in some numbers in a Carex bed at Stanford Wood on 19 Nov 2010, a rather surprising habitat to find it. It was originally identified from my images by Stephane Lebrun, from Le Havre. This identification was confirmed from a specimen by Malcolm Smart, a national authority in the UK on Scathophagidae. The family includes the very common Yellow Dung Fly. By contrast the Daffodil Fly is very local in Britain with only a handful of records.

Rhododendron Leafhopper

These are out in force at the lodge at the moment.

Ectoedemia hannoverella mine in Black Poplar

The scan below is of the leaf mine of Ectoedemia hannoverella in a leaf of a black Poplar sp. This species was found new to Bedfordshire near Arlesey in November 2009 and was also found at that site in 2010. This leaf is from Chicksands Wood on 30th October 2010 and is the second site in the county for the species. Please look out for the characteristic mining pattern in the leaves of Black Poplar and report any to David Manning - with a photo for confirmation.
The adult moth lays the egg on the petiole of the leaf where it forms a gall by initial mining and then mines out into the leaf blade leaving a characteristic green island area once the rest of the leaf turns yellow. Scan by Andy Banthorpe

Western Conifer Seed Bug

A splendid individual on the walls at The Lodge this morning

Pale Pinion



This was a welcome surprise in the garden, found by the children today after school.

Pale Pinion- Upper Cadecote- 4th October 2010

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

The Hummingbird Hawkmoth has an amazing ability to choose suitable coloured roosting sites. This one chose Laburnum pods in my garden today and was very difficult to spot.

Designer Fly Agaric

Amongst the many Fly Agarics at the Lodge today was this interesting 'designer' version.

Shaggy Inkcap (?) MVCP

This fungi was near the path at Stewartby Lake at beginning of the climb up to the the hilly area near the lagoon corner if you approach from the sailing club side. I'm guessing it might be a Shaggy Inkcap purely because it was shaggy and inky but I've not looked it up so I would appreciate it if anyone would let me know what it actually is... Photo by Martin Green.

Apple Mine

There were around 25 Vespula vulgaris excavating into this single apple at Mowsbury Hill LNR. Here's one making off with some pulp:


Photo by Keith Balmer

Chequers and Medlars

Two of our more unusual fruits can be seen at the moment at Mowsbury Hill LNR; Chequers on the Wild Service Tree:


and Medlars, which apparently need "bletting" before they can be used:


Photos by Keith Balmer

A pristine Light Emerald at the Lodge today.


This Wasp Spider at the Lodge old heath today is apparently the first for the reserve, although they have been recorded at Sandy Heath quarry across the road.

Grass Snake - West Wood

This obliging Grass Snake posed between two fungi in West Wood before making a hasty retreat.