Saturday 22 June 2013

Like a Lady in the wind

I had the moth trap out briefly last night but the rain and wind stopped play. Still I got a couple of species new for the year and also 2 Small Elephant Hawkmoth which was very nice. With the help of a short wander today in the breezy wind I saw a few other new ones bring the list to 597, the best being a very worn Painted Lady butterfly on the old pit heap.

The latest additions are
587. Brachypodium sylvaticum (False-brome)
588. Chrysogaster solstitialis (a Hoverfly)
589. Scotophaeus blackwalli (Mouse Spider)
590. Tipula lateralis (Spring Cranefly)
592. Stenurella melanura (Black-striped Longhorn)
593. Oligia fasciuncula (Middle-barred Minor)
594. Plutella porrectella (a micro moth)
595. Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady)
596. Syrphus ribesii (a Hoverfly)
597. Andrena carantonica (a mining bee)

Northern Marsh Orchid 
White Ramping Fumitory - Fumaria capreolata 

The (very worn) Painted Lady

Thursday 20 June 2013

Treking around after Dragons and Tree Bumbles

Still trekking around the fell looking for new species and it's going quite well with the list now up to 586. The moth trap had nearly 30 species the other night including a couple of less than annual species such as Poplar Kitten and Figure of Eighty but the dragonflies on Wanister Bog were the best performers with over 100 Large Red Damselfly, 20 Four-spotted Chaser and 6 or so Azure Damselfly.
A couple of Tree Bumblebees feeding on the alien Wall Cotoneaster near the village was the best of 35 new species I saw today and at last I saw a Comma as I had missed the over-wintering ones earlier in the year.

Only 414 species to go

Four-spotted Chaser

Large Red Damselfly

The latest additions for the year


514 Volucella bombylans (a hoverfly) 15-Jun
515 Pilosella aurantiaca (Fox-and-cubs) 15-Jun
516 Gerris lacustris (Water-skater) 15-Jun
517 Calystegia silvatica (Large Bindweed) 15-Jun
518 Prunus domestica (Wild Plum)   15-Jun
519 Geranium pusillum (Small-flowered Crane's-bill)   15-Jun
520 Carex rostrata (Bottle Sedge) 15-Jun
521 Deschampsia flexuosa (Wavy Hair-grass)  15-Jun
522 Dipsacus fullonum (Wild Teasel) 16-Jun
523 Geranium pratense (Meadow Crane's-bill)  16-Jun
524 Hesperis matronalis (Dame's-violet) 16-Jun
525 Lycaena phlaeas (Small Copper) 16-Jun
526 Potentilla anserina (Silverweed 16-Jun
527 Calystegia sepium subsp. sepium (Hedge Bindweed) 16-Jun
528 Linum catharticum (Fairy Flax)  16-Jun
529 Colostygia pectinataria (Green Carpet) 16-Jun
530 Autographa pulchrina (Beautiful Golden Y) 16-Jun
531 Deilephila porcellus (Small Elephant Hawk-moth) 16-Jun
532 Lype phaeopa (a caddisfly) 16-Jun
533 Cantharis livida (Soldier Beetle) 16-Jun
534 Melolontha melolontha (Common Cockchafer) 18-Jun
535 Coleophora albicosta (a micro-moth) 18-Jun
536 Furcula bifida (Poplar Kitten) 18-Jun
537 Agriphila tristella (a micro moth) 18-Jun
538 Eupithecia exiguata (Mottled Pug) 18-Jun
539 Apamea crenata (Clouded-bordered Brindle) 18-Jun
540 Eupithecia linariata (Toadflax Pug) 18-Jun
541 Selenia tetralunaria (Purple Thorn) 18-Jun
542 Epiphyas postvittana (Light Brown Apple Moth) 18-Jun
543 Apamea monoglypha (Dark Arches) 18-Jun
544 Laothoe populi (Poplar Hawk-moth) 18-Jun
545 Tethea ocularis (Figure of Eighty) 18-Jun
546 Xestia triangulum (Double Square-spot) 18-Jun
547 Hepialus fusconebulosa (Map-winged Swift) 18-Jun
548 Oligia strigilis (Marbled Minor) 18-Jun
549 Scoparia pyralella (a micro-moth) 18-Jun
550 Aphelia paleana (Timothy Tortrix) 18-Jun
551 Coenonympha pamphilus (Small Heath) 19-Jun
552 Cynosurus cristatus (Crested Dog's-tail)   19-Jun
553 Rhinanthus minor (Yellow-rattle) 19-Jun
554 Vicia cracca (Tufted Vetch)   19-Jun
555 Dactylorhiza purpurella (Northern Marsh-orchid)   19-Jun
556 Juniperus communis (Juniper)   19-Jun
557 Scrophularia nodosa (Common Figwort)  19-Jun
558 Eupatorium cannabinum (Hemp-Agrimony) 19-Jun
559 Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy) 19-Jun
560 Crambus ericella (a micro-moth) 19-Jun
561 Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-spotted Chaser) 19-Jun
562 Coenagrion puella (Azure Damselfly) 19-Jun
563 Prunus padus (Bird Cherry)   19-Jun
564 Chenopodium bonus-henricus (Good-King-Henry)   19-Jun
565 Schedonorus arundinaceus (Tall Fescue) 19-Jun
566 Propylea quattuordecimpunctata (14-spot Ladybird) 19-Jun
567 Carex leporina (Oval Sedge) 19-Jun
568 Carex binervis (Green-ribbed Sedge) 19-Jun
569 Agrostis canina (Velvet Bent) 19-Jun
570 Danthonia decumbens (Heath-grass) 19-Jun
571 Carex pilulifera (Pill Sedge) 19-Jun
572 Phleum pratense (Timothy) 19-Jun
573 Carex pendula (Pendulous Sedge)  19-Jun
574 Barbarea vulgaris (Winter-cress)  19-Jun
575 Cotoneaster horizontalis (Wall Cotoneaster)  19-Jun
576 Rosa caesia subsp. vosagiaca (Glaucous Dog-rose) 19-Jun
577 Ochlodes faunus (Large Skipper) 19-Jun
578 Polygonia c-album (Comma) 19-Jun
579 Pegomya solennis (a fly) 19-Jun
580 Eristalis arbustorum (a hoverfly) 19-Jun
581 Phyllobius pomaceus (Nettle Weevil) 19-Jun
582 Bombus hypnorum (Tree Bumble Bee) 19-Jun
583 Phaonia pallida (a fly) 19-Jun
584 Papaver pseudoorientale (Oriental Poppy) 19-Jun
585 Lapsana communis (Nipplewort) 19-Jun
586 Epilobium obscurum (Short-fruited Willowherb)   19-Jun


Azure Damselfly

Tree Bumble Bee

Comma hiding up a tree


Saturday 15 June 2013

I'm talking to the outside world again

It's been what seems like months that I have been without my internet connection and posted onto the this blog. That's because it is. BT in the first of a series of cock-ups removed my internet and landline on the 22nd April and I have just got it back. I'll not go on for too long about the absolute appalling customer service for most of this time but among the highlights were -

1). A total of just under 12 hours I had to spend talking, mainly to Indian call centres after somebody phoned BT to say they were moving but their move request was attached to my account and I lost everything including my sanity at times 

2). Being told I must have moved house because their screen says so
3). Being asked when will I be moving then if I haven't moved already.
4). Being told the problems were because I have moved back to my old address.

I haven't %$^!£  moved I've told you a dozens times, that's not me.

5). Being told I don't exist after having my account completely deleted so they can''t help
Worries of identity theft started creeping in.

6). Ending up with 2 accounts which apparently is impossible.
I have had at least 3, perhaps 4 during this fiasco

7). Being told by an account manager that they were looking into all my issues and NOT to phone BT anymore but they will contact me with updates.

She never contacted me again. 

8). Getting standard broadband back for 36 hours only for BT to pull the plug because ....
9). I received a bill for the person who had moved.
10). Being told that I cannot have broadband until I pay as I am a bad debt.

11). Getting Broadband back again but having to wait until a new order for infinity was issued and an engineer to call the following week
... to do what !!!

12. Getting Infinity back at 10:00 on Wednesday but for it to stop again on the stroke of midnight.

and 13). Lucky for some, I got my broadband back on Thursday night.

That's enough,  I think. though there's more, an awful lot more,  but back to the nature.


During all this it has not stopped me trying to see 1000 species a 1km square around Waldridge Fell.
I reached the 400 mark on 26th May with a Hoverfly Cheilosia bergenstammi, a widespread though rather localised species, this one preferring Ragwort.

Since then it's been hectic, but the moth trap only really started producing about a week ago.Here's a a listing and a couple of pictures since the last posting.



Green Hairstreak
Still on the fell though the numbers are nothing like they used to be






401 Medicago lupulina (Black Medick) 29-May
402 Delichon urbicum (House Martin) 29-May
403 Bombylius major (Bee-fly) 29-May
404 Veronica montana (Wood Speedwell) 02-Jun
405 Hyacinthoides hispanica (Spanish Bluebell) 02-Jun
406 Ematurga atomaria (Common Heath) 02-Jun
407 Pyrrhosoma nymphula (Large Red Damselfly) 02-Jun
408 Volucella pellucens (a hoverfly) 02-Jun
409 Sphaerophoria interrupta (a hoverfly) 02-Jun
410 Myosotis discolor (Changing Forget-me-not) 02-Jun
411 Ajuga reptans (Bugle) 02-Jun
412 Salix phylicifolia (Tea-leaved Willow) 02-Jun
413 Stellaria alsine (Bog Stitchwort) 02-Jun
414 Sonchus asper (Prickly Sow-thistle) 02-Jun
415 Argyrotaenia ljungiana (Micro moth) 02-Jun
416 Arrhenatherum elatius (False Oat-Grass) 02-Jun
417 Poa nemoralis (Wood Meadow-grass) 02-Jun
418 Bombus monticola (Mountain Bumble Bee) 02-Jun
419 Valerianella locusta (Common Cornsalad) 02-Jun
420 Eriophorum angustifolium (Common Cottongrass)   02-Jun
421 Hydrocotyle vulgaris (Marsh Pennywort)   02-Jun
422 Trigonotylus ruficornis (Capsid bug) 02-Jun
423 Voria ruralis (a Tachinid fly) 02-Jun
424 Agriotes obscurus (Click Beetle) 02-Jun
425 Meconopsis cambrica (Welsh Poppy) 02-Jun
426 Cantharis nigricans  (Soldier Beetle) 02-Jun
427 Agriotes pallidulus (Click Beetle) 02-Jun
428 Pardosa amentata (Spotted Wolf Spider) 02-Jun
429 Cylindroiulus punctatus (Blunt-tailed Snake-millipede) 02-Jun
430 Cheilosia latifrons  (a hoverfly) 02-Jun
431 Cheilosia pagana (a hoverfly) 02-Jun
432 Platycheirus podagratus (a hoverfly) 02-Jun
433 Eupithecia vulgata (Common Pug) 03-Jun
434 Selenia lunularia (Lunar Thorn) 03-Jun
435 Tragopogon pratensis (Goatsbeard) 04-Jun
436 Meligethes geneus (Common Pollen Beetle) 04-Jun
437 Epilobium montanum (Broad-leaved Willowherb) 05-Jun
438 Lolium perenne (Perennial Rye-grass) 05-Jun
439 Ancylis badiana (Micro moth) 05-Jun
440 Scoparia ambigualis (Micro moth) 05-Jun
441 Odontopera bidentata (Scalloped Hazel) 05-Jun
442 Plutella xylostella (Diamond-back Moth) 05-Jun
443 Opisthograptis luteolata (Brimstone Moth) 06-Jun
444 Vespula vulgaris (Common Wasp) 06-Jun
445 Agrotis exclamationis (Heart and Dart) 06-Jun
446 Chloroclysta siterata (Red-green Carpet)   06-Jun
447 Chloroclysta truncata (Common Marbled Carpet) 06-Jun
448 Abrostola triplasia (Dark Spectacle) 06-Jun
449 Lobophora halterata (Seraphim) 06-Jun
450 Lasiommata megera (Wall) 08-Jun
451 Bombus lapidarius (Large Red Tailed Bumble Bee) 08-Jun
452 Quercus robur (Pedunculate Oak)  08-Jun
453 Fallopia baldschuanica (Russian-vine) 08-Jun
454 Panorpa germanica (Scorpionfly) 08-Jun
455 Primula veris (Cowslip) 08-Jun
456 Puccinia phragmitis (Dock Rust) 08-Jun
457 Rumex conglomeratus (Clustered Dock) 08-Jun
458 Melangyna umbellatarum (a hoverfly) 08-Jun
459 Helophilus pendulus (a hoverfly) 08-Jun
460 Merodon equestris (a hoverfly) 08-Jun
461 Lathyrus pratensis (Meadow Vetchling) 08-Jun
462 Aira caryophyllea (Silver Hair-grass) 08-Jun
463 Festuca filiformis (Fine-leaved Sheep's-fescue) 08-Jun
464 Cydia ulicetana (a Micro Moth) 08-Jun
465 Coleophora serratella (a Micro Moth) 08-Jun
466 Veronica arvensis (Wall Speedwell) 09-Jun
467 Xanthorhoe montanata (Silver-ground Carpet) 11-Jun
468 Silene latifolia (White Campion)  11-Jun
469 Fumaria capreolata (White Ramping-fumitory)  11-Jun
470 Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Wood Warbler) 11-Jun






Damn that branch. My Wood Warbler in Felledge wood.
This species is getter rarer by the year in the NE
and my first on the fell since 2002.
Well chuffed.


471 Scirpus sylvaticus (Wood Club-rush)  11-Jun
472 Rumex acetosa (Common Sorrel) 11-Jun
473 Salix aurita (Eared Willow) 11-Jun
474 Nardus stricta (Mat-grass) 11-Jun
475 Epilobium palustre (Marsh Willowherb)  11-Jun
476 Carex remota (Remote Sedge)   11-Jun
477 Carex acutiformis (Lesser Pond Sedge)   11-Jun
478 Salix myrsinifolia (Dark-leaved Willow) 11-Jun
479 Ranunculus flammula (Lesser Spearwort) 11-Jun
480 Juncus conglomeratus (Compact Rush) 11-Jun
481 Dasineura ulmaria (Meadowsweet Gall Midge) 11-Jun
482 Crepis paludosa (Marsh Hawk's-beard) 11-Jun
483 Dactylorhiza fuchsii (Common Spotted-orchid) 11-Jun
484 Chrysotoxum arcuatum (a hoverfly) 11-Jun

Chrysotoxum arcuatum - A 
strictly northern and western hoverfly,
locally frequent on the fell
485 Nomada ruficornis (Red-Horned Nomad Bee) 11-Jun
486 Tipula oleracea (Marsh Cranefly) 11-Jun
487 Platybunus triangularis (a harvestman) 11-Jun
488 Ulmus glabra (Wych Elm) 11-Jun
489 Carex echinata (Star Sedge) 11-Jun
490 Carex sylvatica (Wood-sedge) 11-Jun
491 Milium effusum (Wood Millet)   11-Jun
492 Lysimachia vulgaris (Yellow Loosestrife) 11-Jun
493 Salix pentandra (Bay Willow)   11-Jun
494 Valeriana officinalis (Common Valerian)   11-Jun
495 Lysimachia nemorum (Yellow Pimpernel)  11-Jun
496 Cantharis pellucida (Soldier-beetle) 11-Jun
497 Plagiomnium affine (Many-fruited Thyme-moss) 11-Jun
498 Eupithecia assimilata (Currant Pug) 11-Jun
499 Calliteara pudibunda (Pale Tussock) 11-Jun
500 Lomographa temerata (Clouded Silver) 11-Jun
501 Ecliptopera silaceata (Small Phoenix) 11-Jun
502 Biston betularia (Peppered Moth) 11-Jun
503 Notodonta dromedarius (Iron Prominent) 11-Jun
504 Thera britannica (Spruce Carpet) 11-Jun
505 Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth) 11-Jun
506 Diarsia mendica (Ingrailed Clay) 11-Jun
507 Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Brown House Moth) 11-Jun
508 Stenodema calcarata  (Capsid bug) 11-Jun
509 Episyrphus balteatus (a hoverfly) 12-Jun
510 Pucciniastrum epilobii (Willowherb Rust) 12-Jun
511 Hordeum murinum (Wall Barley) 12-Jun
512 Thera obeliscata (Grey Pine Carpet) 12-Jun
513 Deilephila elpenor (Elephant Hawk-moth) 13-Jun


So that's it so far. I'll  post some pictures and more details later, I have a great deal of emails to go through as I have the internet back.