A bit more sunshine today, so the butterflies are back, but not many. Just a handful of Brimstone, Speckled Wood, and Holly Blue, and one each of Green Hairstreak, Painted Lady, and Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages).

Like yesterday, it was leaf searching that provided most of my photo opportunities from a variety of different plants.

A pollen-laden female Early Mining Bee (Andrena haemorrhoa) was found resting on a Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) leaf. One Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) hosted several hungry Jersey Tiger Moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria) caterpillars, while a Blossom Underwing (Orthosia miniosa) caterpillar was seen on Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum). A Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) plant received the close attention of a female ichneumon wasp (Dusona bicoloripes).

Goat Willow (Salix caprea) provided a mating pair of Willow Gall Weevil (Archarius salicivorus) and both adults and nymphs of a jumping plant louse (Cacopsylla melanoneura).

A Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) moth caterpillar was found on English Oak (Quercus robur), where I also located the occupied leaf mine of the weevil (Orchestes hortorum). An egg is laid on the leaf margin and the newly hatched larva enters the leaf, feeding on the inner tissue between the upper and lower epidermis of the leaf. Initially it works its way along the leaf margin, but as it grows and the leaf mine widens to accommodate it, turns away from the margin and eventually makes a circular blotch mine and cuts the leaf epidermis so that it can exit the leaf. It drops to ground where it then pupates. My photos show the leaf mine at the final stage of the circular blotch mine with larva still in residence.

I also have a photo of what I believe are Spindle Ermine (Yponomeuta cagnagella) caterpillars living gregariously inside their silken web on the wrong tree – they are on Oak not Spindle. Another find on an Oak leaf was a nymph of the Oak Catkin Bug (Harpocera thoracica).

Two spiders were also seen, a Common Sun-jumper (Heliophanus flavipes) on Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) and a long-jawed orb-weaver spider (Tetragnatha sp.), often referred to as a stretch spider. 

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