Thursday, 9 Oct 2025

Common Banded Hoverfly (Syrphus ribesii) and Batman Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) are still the most numerous hoverflies, but I managed to pick out a Plain-faced Drone Fly (Eristalis arbustorum). Both Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) and Seven-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) are about in good numbers, particularly on sycamore and dogwood leaves.

I also found a Cucumber Green Spider (Araniella cucurbitina) on her web on a sycamore tree.

On a single buckthorn leaf I photographed both the leaf edge gall of the Jumping Plant Louse (Trichochermes walkeri) and the active leaf mine of a Buckthorn Dot (Stigmella catharticella) moth larva, in which the larva is still mining the gallery.

On oak leaves on the same twig, I found an Oyster Gall caused by the gall wasp Neuroterus anthracinus f. agamic and a leaf edge fold secured by silk threads that contains the pupa of either the Oak Stilt or Shaded Oak Stilt moth (referred to as the aggregate Caloptilia alchimiella/robustella agg).

In a different part of the old sheep enclosure to that of 3 days ago I came across more mushrooms on old tree stumps, which I believe may also be Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare) mushrooms.

Bright red berries were the order of the day with Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus) berries (drupes), Tree Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster frigidus) berries (pomes), and the highly poisonous Black Bryony (Dioscorea communis) berries (drupes) all prominent.

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