Saturday 30 April 2011

Campoplex sp.




Another parasitoid, this one emerging in a container full of teasel heads collected from the Knaresborough bypass.


I am assuming that the host was a larva of the tortricid moth Endothenia gentianaeana as these seem to occupy most of the teasels here.

Saturday 16 April 2011

Grass Wood

Grass Wood, near Grassington in North Yorkshire is an area of ash woodland with an under-storey of hazel and bird-cherry. Yesterday morning I had chance for a brief foray into the wood and on the south-east facing part of a sycamore trunk I noticed a patch of lichens. Closer examination of the lichen revealed a couple of resting micro-moths that I recognised as belonging to the Phyllonorycter genus. These could well be examples of "Nut Leaf Blister Moth" (Phyllonorycter coryli). There are actually two of them on the lower photograph here, demonstrating their camouflage!

Sunday 10 April 2011

Spring Sunshine

Beautiful Spring sunshine again today. I decided to wait in the garden in the hope of seeing my first Orange Tip and Holly Blue of the year. The first butterfly to catch my eye was a Speckled Wood which seemed to be admiring its own reflection on a dead laurel leaf. A couple of Large Whites flew through and a Comma stayed for a couple of minutes. No Orange Tips yet but a Holly Blue showed interest in one of my topiaried trees. I'm not good at Ladybird identification so if anyone can recognise these three............
I am thinking they could be Harlequin (Harmonia axyridis), Pine Ladybird (Exochomus 4-pustulatus) and Orange Ladybird (Halyzia 16-guttata).

Friday 8 April 2011

There's no hiding place!


There has been an emergence from one of the cases of Narycia duplicella collected from the Laund Oak in mid-March.

Not a moth, but a splendid parasitoid male Diadegma sp.

I am hoping that Mark Shaw or Klaus Horstmann will be able to determine the exact species.

The remaining case seems to contain a live duplicella larva.

Sunday 3 April 2011

Emorsgate Seeds


There is something therapeutic about sowing wildflower seeds whilst partaking of the appropriate refreshment!

I have been impressed with the mail-order service provided by Emorsgate Seeds.

Now I can just sit back and enjoy the results.