A much hotter day today, which even as I started my walk was already close to being the hottest day of the year. Much more sun than yesterday too, but still very windy. Butterfly sightings were few with the same species seen as yesterday, Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Brown Argus, Holly Blue and Common Blue.

Like yesterday it was a good day for new sightings. First of the season sightings of Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle (Agapanthia villosoviridescens) on Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) and a Tortoise Bug (Eurygaster testudinaria).

First ever record of Denticulate Leatherbug (Coriomeris denticulatus) at the same site that I saw Ornate Shieldbug yesterday. So that is now 4 first ever sightings (with Yellow Weevil and White-shouldered Shieldbug) at the same spot.

Striped Shieldbug (Graphosoma lineatum) seems now to be well-established on the Downs as I located it today at a third different site (and the same place that I saw Vernal Shieldbug yesterday). I now have 3 ‘hotspots’ that I will try to work into all my walks for the next few months.

Other photos today included a Common Red-legged Robberfly (Dioctria rufipes) with its prey, perhaps a mosquito or gnat, a Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria) moth caterpillar crawling along a path in front of me, Sycamore Periphyllus Aphid (Periphyllus acericola) on a sycamore leaf with a Sycamore Leafhopper (Edwardsiana nigroloba) nymph, and leaf mine damage on Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) leaves caused by the larvae of the Hogweed Leaf Miner (Phytomyza spondylii) fly.

A new wildflower is Field Mustard (Brassica rapa), while Pendulous Sedge (Carex pendula) is starting to seed. One Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) was resplendent with reddish samaras (‘helicopter seeds’). This just a natural intermediate stage between newly formed green samaras and the final dry brown ones.

                                                                                              <<<< Previous page | Next Page >>>>