It was windy again, with a very gusty southwester blowing, so I stuck to the woodland paths and those along the eastern edges of woodland.

The Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) butterfly is still to be seen, as are Small Blue (Cupido minimus) and increasing numbers of Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), but not a Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) noted anywhere.

The patches of Common Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) continue to be very rewarding, with quite a list of species compiled today – the sawfly Common Green Tenthredo (Tenthredo mesomela), flies Tiger Cranefly (Nephrotoma flavescens) and Dagger Fly (Empis opaca), beetles Common Grammoptera (Grammoptera ruficornis) and Orchid Beetle (Dascillus cervinus), Forest Bug (Pentatoma rufipes), Meadow Grasshopper (Pseudochorthippus parallelus) and Early (or Orange-tailed) Mining Bee (Andrena haemorrhoa).

Elsewhere the comfrey with the newly hatched bug nymphs turned up a Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) intent on feasting on some Black Bean aphids (Aphis fabae).

On a patch of nettles beneath an oak tree I discovered the larva of the Orange Bordered Oak-cutter sawfly (Periclista pubescens). I can only guess that it had fallen from the tree above as that is where it would usually be found.

Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) is present in large numbers and seems to be favouring the now prominent Rough Hawk’s-beard (Crepis biennis) flowers that stand high above the surrounding grasses.

New flowers today are Lesser Stitchwort (Stellaria graminea) and Hop Trefoil (Trifolium campestre).

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