Thursday 27 July 2017

Wednesday 26 July 2017

and a few 'Bugs'



Lacewing


Plume Moth Sp?
Thought it would be easy to ID, but I failed. It was near a patch of Sneezewort but this didn't help.



Oops sorry didn't mean to include a bird, yet?


Large Yellow Underwing
(Noctua pronuba)




Dung Beetle
(Geotrupes tercorarius)

ound this lying on its back. I should have photographed it before turning it over because the blue underside is stunning.When I did turn it over it didn't move far so I'm not sure it survived.



(Capsus ater)

Plant bug associated with grasses. Less than 1cm in length. The 2nd antennal segment swollen towards the apex made the ID fairly easy. (If I got it right?)



Drinker (moth)
(Euthrix potatoria)

Having seen lots of caterpillars in the dunes this spring it was great to find an adult sheltering in the hide at Druridge.

Just 3 more ...


St John's-wort

Easy peasy ... well not so. Look in the Collins Guide and there are several species so it took sometime to convince myself of this ID.



Flowers >2cm


Stem with 2 ridges (one shown here)


Leaves glandular


Petals > 2x length of sepals


Translucent gands 


Result
Perforate St John's-wort
(Hypericum perforatum)
I hope  ;)


The next two just for fun.
Wild Carrot
(Daucus carota ssp carota)
I lve the fact that the central flower is usually red unlike the rest.






Wild Teasel
(Dipsacus fullonum)




Thursday 20 July 2017

a few more flowering plants


Greater Stitchwort
(Stellaria holostea)





Downy Woundwort ... probably Lamb's-ear
(Stachys byzantina)

no doubt a garden escape




Common Mallow
(Malva sylvestris)




and for comparison
Musk Mallow
(Malva moscata)




Comfrey
(Symphytum officinale)



Field Scabious
(Knautia arvensis)




Hemp Agrimony
(Eupatorium cannabinum)




Canadian Waterweed
(Elodea canadensis)

Female flowers on long stalks.



Pineapple-weed
(Matrcaria discoidea)


Monday 17 July 2017


Devil's Coach-horse Beetle
(Ocypus olens)



Bobolink on patch this week?


OK it was a very small pheasant. This Wheatear was at the burnmouth, Chevington.
 Terns are now visiting the beach and a pair of Arctic Skuas are loafing in the bay. Up to 1000 Common Scoter are in the bay now. A young Kingfisher is also in the area.


Small Tortoiseshell



White Stonecrop
(Sedum album)



Harebell
(Campanula rotundiflora)




Great Willowherb
(Epilobium hirsutum)




Rosebay Willowerb
(Chamerion angustifolium)




Hemp Agrimony
(Eupatorium cannabinum)





Mugwort
(Artemisia vulgaris)



Still plenty to see around the bay. Lots of family parties of breeding birds. The first juvenile terns are waiting on the beach for parents to feed them. Sadly the Harriers deserted their nest but they have been very successful in  previous years. Waders are returning and who knows what could pass through the area in the next couple of weeks?