Small Yellow Underwings, a variety of beetles and a new ant

A visit to Burnham Overy on Friday 25th was primarily for birds but needless to say I kept an eye out for other things too.  The weather wasn't ideal for lepidoptera (3 Wall Browns were the only butterflies I saw) but there were a few moths on the wing.  At least 40 Plain Fanners Glyphipterix fuscoviridella were most numerous but there were also Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus and 4 Cinnabars.  Curiously James Lowen reported 100++ Diamond-back Moths but I didn't see a single one!  Did they arrive in the afternoon maybe, after I had gone?  There clearly was an arrival of Diamond-backs that day as I saw some later on, but not at Burnham Overy.

This waxfly proved to be a male Coniopteryx tineiformis.

Coniopteryx tineiformis (male, gen det), Burnham Overy, 25th May

Southern Marsh Orchid, Burnham Overy, 25th May

Later on I went for a wander round the Cathedral Meadows and this proved to be much more productive from an invert perspective.  No more butterflies (single Orange-tip and Small Tortoiseshell) but a good variety of moths: Plain Gold Micropterix calthella, Oak Bent-wing Bucculatrix ulmella, 4 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana, 94 Cocksfoot Moths Glyphipterix simpliciella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, 5 Grey Gorse Piercers Cydia ulicetana, 2 Pea Moths Cydia nigricana, Sharp-winged Drill Dichrorampha acuminatana, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet and 3 Small Yellow Underwings.

Small Yellow Underwings, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Oak Bent-wing Bucculatrix ulmella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

There were at least 15 Green Drake mayflies Ephemera danica engaged in their dancing display flight.

Green Drake Ephemera danica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Dragonflies consisted of Azure Damselfly and my first Banded Demoiselle of the year.

Banded Demoiselle, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

There was another Coniopterix tineiformis and this Scorpion Fly was my first Panorpa communis for the site.

Panorpa communis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

This Gorse Shieldbug was the only bug I found.

Gorse Shieldbug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

There were quite a few species of beetle including two I hadn't previously identified: Plum Longhorn Beetle Tetrops praeustus and the weevil Trichosirocalus troglodytes.

Plum Longhorn Beetle Tetrops praeustus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Trichosirocalus troglodytes, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Other beetles included 2 Athous haemorrhoidalis, Cantharis nigricans, Cantharis rustica,  Byturus ochraceus, 24-spot Ladybird and 5 Phyllobius pomaceus.

Athous haemorrhoidalis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Cantharis rustica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Nettle Weevils Phyllobius pomaceus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

I imagined this red ant would be another Myrmica rubra but it turned to be Myrmica ruginodis, apparently also very common but the first one I've identified.

Myrmica ruginodis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

I attempted to identify a few sawflies, all in the genus Tenthredo.  The first is Tenthredo temula, the second is Tenthredo livida and the last is probably Tenthredo arctuata but there are several similar species and it didn't quite key out right using one of the two keys I tried.  I've caught two more subsequently and think I know where I went wrong - certainly the later ones and probably this one also were arcuata.  Thanks to Andy Musgrove for help with these.

Tenthredo temula, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Tenthredo livida, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

probable Tenthredo arcuata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Finally I think these fungi are old Jelly Ears...

Jelly Ear, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Mayfly magic - out with the old skin and in with the new

On Saturday afternoon I joined Dave and Matthew Casey on one of Matthew's patches that was a site for Large Red-belted Clearwings.  It's a bit early but Dave has a pheremone lure and we thought it worth a shot.  We didn't succeed with the Clearwings but saw a nice variety of inverts, and it was good to meet Matthew again - and also really nice to meet James Lowen for the first time, who lives nearby and turned up later with his daughter.

Dave and Matthew had already found a Marsh Pug and some Little Long-horns Cauchas fibulella before I arrived, and other Long-horns included a couple of Meadow Long-horns Cauchas rufimitrella.

Little Long-horn Cauchas fibulella, New Costessey, 28th May

Other moths included Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Thistle Bell Epiblema scutulana, Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, Red Twin-spot Carpet and Common Carpet.  Butterflies included Holly Blue and Speckled Wood, and Damseflies included Azure and Blue-tailed.

Azure Damselfly, New Costessey, 28th May

There were lots of Mayflies along the stream.  They looked distinctive but to be sure of getting an ID I took one home in a pot to examine with the key to hand.  It proved to be a Green Drake Ephemera danica but the more interesting thing was that it shed its skin while in my pot.  I'd already photographed it when I looked back at the pot and at first thought there was a second, dead, Mayfly in the pot.  How could that be, I pondered, before realising that it was in fact an empty skin.  The new iteration of Mayfly didn't look vastly different from the first, but the body was brighter and paler, the wings seemed paler and more strongly marked and the tail was longer.  I don't know much about Mayflies yet, but learned something new here.  Firstly I hadn't realised that the change from sub-imago to imago (adult) involved shedding its skin and secondly, when I read up on that the text seemed to imply that the sub-imago just rests before moulting into an imago, yet mine was definitely captured in flight.

Green Drake Ephemera danica, New Costessey, 28th May - the sub-imago, its shed skin and the resulting imago

This Alder Fly turned out to be Sialis lutaria.  There are 3 species of Alder Fly in the UK and you have to examine their genitalia to sort them out.  They don't need a full dissection but I must admit I found it a bit tricky matching my specimen to the diagrams in the key.  Got there in the end though, I think.

Alder Fly Sialis lutaria (male, gen det), New Costessey, 28th May

Other inverts of note were Dock Bug, Red-headed Cardinal (beetle) and Green Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus. Snails included a Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus and Dave pointed out what turned out to be my first identified Amber Snail Succinea putris.

Dock Bug, New Costessey, 28th May

 Green Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus, New Costessey, 28th May

Amber Snail Succinea putris, New Costessey, 28th May