Hunting for Hornets

I was fortunate to be invited on a Hornet Hunt by the Lundy Warden when I was over there last week.

Dean Jones, the Warden, had found some empty chrysalis cases on old Willow trees in the Quarries on Lundy.  He identified them as potentially Lunar Hornet Moth (Sesia bembeciformis) cases and ordered the newly released Pheronome for that species.   

Two of the empty chrysalis cases in Willow

Eggs are laid in the bark of Willow trees which hatch, and the larvae burrow deep into the wood.  In early June or July the white grub like caterpillars, and emerge from the chrysalis which are left half in the hole they bored.  The usually takes place around 8:30am early in June so we were probably a month and 5 hours too late. The cycle of mating and egg-laying then repeats.

We had hoped for a quick response to the pheronome order and, within the limitations of thrice-weekly sailings of the island's transport, MS Oldenburg it arrived before I left.  But, only just.  The day before I was due to leave, Dean asked if I was up for a visit with the lure to the site.

Dean and Rosie waiting expectantly

Dean, Rosie the Ranger and I duly set off north from the village to the 1860s quarry workings and to the site of the emergent moths.  Pheronomes are detected by male moths from at least 100 metres distant so we gave it half-an-hour but with no response.

Empty chrysalis extracted from Willow (0.5cm squares)

A few hundred metres south was another stand of Willow, but there were no chrysalises there.  We tried again but still with no success.

Nevertheless, we had tried and we did find at least half-a-dozen emergent cases at the original site but probably had missed the adult moths by a few days.  

Maybe next year when a picture of the spectacular adult might be available.

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Lundy Birds

Mary Atkinson Wild

Two Transects

For the first two weeks in July I was on Lundy.  While I was there I undertook two weekly butterfly transects for UKBMS.  I established this transect in 2019 to cover as diverse a selection of habitats as possible on the island.  

From the pond in Millcombe, the route ascends under trees and shrubs to Millcombe House then loops around the gorse covered slopes of Hangman's Hill and back under the trees to the head of the valley.  From here is follows a level route along the edge of the arable farm fields above the bracken covered sea cliffs to the beginning of the Quarries.

Towards the end of the Lundy Transect near Quarry Cottages

By contrast on Tuesday, I completed week 16 of my local butterfly transect - the Tidna Transet.  It begins and ends conveniently at my local, the Bush Inn and continues for half its length following the Tidna through its wooded valley and emerges at the edge of the Atlantic before climbing flowered covered cliff and returns along a Cornish hedged lane to complete the circuit.

Tidna Valley look inland from the Atlantic Clifftop

Both transects are within 20 miles of each other separated only by the Atlantic Ocean and Bristol Channel and cover broadly similar habitats.

I did my first Lundy transect on the 10th July on a really hot day only affected by a stiff North-west breeze although we were shielded from it by the field walls on the eastern side of the island.  Butterflies were recorded in each of the nine sectors with a total of 71 butterflies of seven species seen.  These were Small and Green-veined White, Red Admiral, Grayling, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Heath.  On the second transect on the 15th, the weather was poorer resulting in fewer butterflies and only five species.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Tidna Transect

By contrast, my local transect, on the 21st July was in very hot weather with clear skies and hardly any wind.  Here also, butterflies were recorded in all ten sectors with a total of 155 butterflies of 14 species.  The species recorded were; Large, Small and Green-veined White, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Small Pearl-bordered and Silver-washed Fritillaries, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Heath.

Silver-washed Fritillary - Tidna Transect

With a few exceptions, both transects resulted in very similar species.  It was a little early for Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood is rare on Lundy and the Fritillaries have never been recorded.

A Lundy Grayling

I am jealous of the sighting of the Grayling though.  I have not yet seen one here on the mainland, but continue to be hopeful.

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Lundy Birds

Mary Atkinson Wild

"mock Tudor, half-timbered building"

After a week of poor weather, we were rewarding by another mini-heatwave.  I took the last opportunity to complete week 12 of the UKMBS butterfly survery yesterday (23rd June).  It was the hottest day of the year with a temperature of 26C.

But, half of the transect is along a delightful stream running through a maturely wooded valley.  

Tidna Valley main part of the transect

The temperature in the shade of the trees was much more reasonable.  Having seen a Meadow Brown on the first of the ten sections, I dared to anticipate a full house (https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2530752943335211299/3755956790555006431 ) that is, recording butterflies on every one of the ten sections.  Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood were common under the trees particulalry where the canopy is open allowing brambles to flourish and produce flowers attractive to all insects.

It was in one of these sunlit open areas that a New For Year (NFY) Silver-washed Fritillary appeared on section three.

Silver-washed Fritillary

Where the route emerges from the tree cover, at section six, it is more open with steep sided slopes covered in Gorse either side of a more open scrubby pathway.  It is here that the Large Blue Butterfly became extinct in Cornwall in 1979.  Despite efforts to reintroduce it, the ecology is still not yet suitable.  However Skippers and Small Heaths did appear here as well as Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in season.  And it is here where another two more NFY appeared, a Small Skipper and a Ringlet.

Small Skipper

Ringlet

The best was yet to come.  Further along this valley, within sight of the Atlantic Ocean I spotted a large, dirty white flying insect.  I could not be sure if it was moth or butterfly, but the blurred, dirty white was similar to the colour moths present as they flap their wings.  However as it came nearer, it was apparent that it was a large black and white butterfly.  I could see that the black and white were in distinct panes not unlike a mock Tudor, half-timbered building - it was a Marbled White.  So, not only NFY, but also new to this site and an uncommon species in North Cornwall VC2.

Marbled White

I couldn't beat that, but did manage to complete the "full house" with a least one butterfly in each of the ten sections.  It was not the highest number seen so far this year, but 64 butterflies of ten species with four NFY and one new for the site was very satisfying.

A Loveliness of Ladybirds

Most days when taking my daily execise, walking around our local lanes, I see a 7-spot Ladybird or even two or three.  They are bright and visible so catch the eye. This last week or so, I have been amazed at one patch of nettles on my regular daily walk.

The ordinary looking nettle patch

It looks no different from all the other patches of nettles that I look at as I walk by.  So what does make it special?  The sheer abundance of Ladybirds that can be counted there.

On the 5th, I counted five 7-spot Ladbybirds in a shaded waterside patch, but along the lane between Tonacombe and Stanbury Cross in this particular nettle patch there were 34.  They were not closely grouped, but spread about, one on an occassional nettle.On the 8th there was only one seen elsewhere but here there were 15 albeit on a damp, grey drizzly day.

Socially distanced Ladybirds

Once the sun came out and the temperature lifted a little, back they were sunning on the nettle patch - 54 on the 11th and 47 on the 13th.

7-spot Ladybird

On the 11th there was a 7-spot larva and a lone 10-spot Ladybird and on the 13th anothere larva, this time of a Harlequin Ladybird.  Todya, 16th there were and amazing 71 ladybirds.

10-spot Ladybird

Harlequin Ladbybird larva

Seen en masse Ladybirds certainly live up to their collective noun - a true loveliness.

Stranger in the night

Over the last week or so, we have been finding small, cylindrical, black droppings which look to me to be hedgehog droppings.  The picuture below shows three examples.

Hedgehog droppings

During lockdown, I decided to leave a few square metres of lawn uncut to see what grows and hopefully bring more biodiversity to the garden.  I inspect this fairly often to see what might be pushing through and noticed there were well-used pathways in the growing grasses.

Hedgehog trail

These two pieces of evidence made me decide to put out my trail camera, a Spypoint IR-8.  The following morning amongst the recordings of grasses moving in the breeze was the clip shown below.

Yes, a full-grown hedgehog going about its business and probably sleeping in the hedge bottom during the day. Now to set up a better camera position to see if I can capture some more images.

Lockdown Pond

During lockdown, I fulfilled a long-standing ambition and built a pond.  I'd been promising myself that I would do this for years, but never got around to it. During April I bit the bullet and made a start.  

The result is a modest affair, 3m x 2m with a maximum depth of 0.4m in a very flat grassy garden bordered by fields.  

Lockdown Pond

I added water on 16th April and within a matter of hours, it had attracted three different species of water beetle.  Within this short space of time, there were around 50 tiny 2-3mm Helophorus, four medium-sized Hydroporinae and a couple of larger Dysticidae.  On the 19th a Pond-skater (Gerridae) visited briefly, but did not stay.  The Helophorus mass-attacked anything organic that fell into the water and the Helophorus could be heard hitting the plastic liner where they immediately started mating furiously.

Left Dytiscidae and a mass of voracious Helophorus demolishing a slug

Hydroporinae

The birds like it. All species seen in the garden have used the pond to drink or bathe with a blackbird seen gathering damp mud to line her nest and once a couple of swallows skimmed low but did not stop to drink.  Birds seem to gather near it, frequently settling comfortably in the grass.

I wanted the pond to colonise naturally, which it is doing for the fauna, but I admit to helping the flora.  I have replanted a couple of  Common Rush Juncus effusus and Water mint Mentha aquatica at the bog end of the pond and acquired three Common Spike Rush Eleocharis palustris plants which I planted in the shallow water's edge, and I've also added a small piece of Common Water Moss Fontinalis antipyretica.

The last couple of weeks have been challenging through lack of rainfall.  I could almost watch the water level falling as the contents of the pond evaporated.  Last week, I emptied the last 75 litres out of my water butt but still the level continued to fall.  I have joined the Wildlife Ponds UK  Facebook group 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2122154031407805/ and looked there for advice.  The recommended strategy was to use tap water but fill the pond through a spray nozzle to help remove the Chlorine from the tap water.

This morning (28th May) I sprayed the pond and raised the level by a couple of inches, a much more acceptable depth.  Once done, I contemplated my satisfyingly deeper pond and spotted another new arrival.

Lesser Diving Beetle - Acilius sulcatus

This was a much larger and very busy water beetle.  It was about the size of a thumb-nail with yellow horizontal markings across its head and broad grey stripes along the elytra - a Lessser Diving beetle, Acilius sulcatus!

As if this was not enough, an hour or so later, two female Broad-bodied Chasers Libellula depressa had found the pond and were ovipositing in it.

Broad-bodied Chaser - Libellula depressa

Never mind the South West Water bill, I'll have to keep topping up the water level to ensure the survival of their nymphs.

Shark! Shark!

Friday night is the night chosen for co-ordinated moth trapping for those who submit their records to the Garden Moths Scheme (GMS).  This gives a nation-wide comparison of the diversity and abundance of moths throughout the year.  This week, (22nd May) was unseasonably windy, which is not the best weather to catch moths, and continued the same through Saturday.  So, I delayed my GMS until Sunday night when the weather was expected to improve.

I was not disappointed.  The wind had dropped and there were no clouds.  This meant that it was not very warm overnight, but with a minimum of 7℃ it was not too cold for moths.

My trap is a Skinner design 20 Watt twin blue light bulb type.  As such, it will never attract the multitude of moths that a Robinson trap with Mercury Vapour bulb does.  Over Sunday night, it did not do too badly attracting 26 moths of 11 species.

The largest number of  a single species trapped, was eleven Heart and Dart - named somewhat imaginatively for the two dark marks on each wing of a dart shaped mark above a heart shaped mark.

Heart and Dart 

Next in number came four of the prosaically-named Treble Lines, named for the three horizontal lines across both wings.

Treble Lines

Apart from three Flame-shoulder (not illustrated) the remainder of the moths were all single records.  Moving away from the predominantly brown moths, there was a very attractively marked, and appropriately named, Broad-barred White  

Broad-barred White

Other single specimens were Pale Tussock, Common Pug, Brimstone and Flame.  The final three were huge moths.  Those who visit Lundy or walk the North Cornwall cliffs may be familiar with the large, brown, hairy caterpillars that feature there for most of the year.  These are the caterpillars of the Fox Moth, but the moth itself is more elusive.  It is a big moth with 34mm long wings and has a large fat body and similar colouring to a Fox.

Fox Moth

Another large 34mm long moth is the aptly-named Great Prominent.  As well as having big wings and a large body it has heavy hairy legs.

Great Prominent

Finally, a slightly smaller moth around 30mm in length but much slimmer and more streamlined.  This is  a grey finely marked moth - the Shark.  It is so named because of the prominent crest projecting over the head of the moth resembling the fin of a Shark.  It was not Jaws, but a shark in the garden is a most unexpected first for me.

The Shark

Of course, it being May, there were three of the almost obligatory large Maybugs or Cockchafers.