Thursday, 8 May 2025
It was a good day for insects today. Forest Bug (Pentatoma rufipes), Lucerne Bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus), Common Dance Fly (Empis tessellata) and Plain-winged Spring Beegrabber [Myopa testacea] were seen before adding Buzzing Spider (Anyphaena accentuata?). As there are 3 very similar species in this spider genus, which can only be separated under a microscope, I […]
Wednesday, 7 May 2025
Three more new insect sightings today – Small Yellow Underwing (Panemeria tenebrata) moth, Four-spotted Oak Bug (Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus) and Wayward Sawfly (Tenthredo temula). I also discovered the larval case of a Coleophora moth on the underside of an English Oak leaf, so possibly C. flavipennella the Yellow Oak Case-bearer moth. The oak trees are definitely […]
Tuesday, 6 May 2025
Tuesday, 6 May 2025 A good day for exercise and not much else. With a strong northeaster blowing there were few butterflies and other insects on the wing. No new wildflowers to be seen, but I did see my first of the summer migrant birds in Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla). […]
Saturday, 3 May 2025
Some very early Small Heath butterflies (Coenonympha pamphilus) are on the wing today, while an English Oak (Quercus robur) tree revealed another type of gall, a Currant Gall caused by the gall wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum. These can occur either on a leaf or the male catkins of the oak tree. On a leaf of the same […]
Friday, 2 May 2025
The Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is now blooming across the Downs, the May blossom adding a touch of colour to the otherwise green hedges and woodland. In the grassland areas the latest flowers to appear are Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), Tormentil (Potentilla erecta) and Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). On the leaf of one as yet non-flowering Salad […]
Thursday, 1 May 2025
Many of the dandelions now have full heads of seeds – ‘dandelion clocks’. The strong breeze today has them blowing around like snow. Indeed, some paths have sections that look as if there is a light frost or snow cover such is the concentration of the seeds. There are other windblown seeds resembling dandelion seeds, […]
Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Latest addition to the butterfly list is Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages), while I saw my first ever Common Heath (Ematurga atomaria) and Muslin moths (Diaphora mendica). A shield bug seen on hawthorn blossom turned out not to be a Hawthorn Shield Bug but rather a Common Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina). Yesterday I saw only […]
Monday, 28 April 2025
Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Peacock (Aglais io) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) butterflies are all now present in large numbers, as is the Dark-edged Bee-fly (Bombylius major). New today were Raspberry Beetle (Byturus ochraceus) swarming all over the dandelion flowers in one area, a Small Green Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius roboretanus) that landed conveniently on the back […]
Saturday, 26 April 2025
Only one new sighting today, a rove beetle scuttled across the path right in front of me. No photo as it disappeared quickly into the long grass on the verge and definitely no ID. […]
Friday, 25 April 2025
The first few Common Field Speedwell (Veronica persica), Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) and Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus) have made an appearance. A couple of Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris) trees are in full blossom. Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) are about in their hundreds today. This is probably the most common and numerous bee on the […]
Tuesday, 22 April 2025
What a difference 5 days makes. The trees on the Downs have all leafed and the visual impact of all that greenery is quite stunning. While the trees may be looking very different there is little to add on the wildflower front, with a just few Common Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) and […]
Thursday, 17 April 2025
A few more rain showers in the past two days but still not enough to coax any new flowers into bloom. The ground is still looking very dry as if there had been no rain at all. I added another new butterfly species to my Downs list, the relatively common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines brittanica). Another […]
Monday, 14 April 2025
I thought perhaps that after the rain showers yesterday afternoon and evening I might see a little more insect activity on the Downs today. The ground has been so dry for the time of year that all the rain was gratefully soaked up as if it had not rained at all. First sightings for the […]
Saturday, 12 April 2025
Little to add to yesterday but I have seen the first European Peacock butterfly (Aglais io) of the year as well as the first Dark-edged Bee-fly (Bombylius major). One of the gorse bushes that is almost in full bloom hosted a swarm of small moths that certainly belong to the genus Cydia, most likely the […]
Friday, 11 April 2025
A few more butterfly species around today, with one sighting each of Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) and Small White (Pieris rapae). Sighting of the day, however, after 11 years of walking on Banstead Downs was my first Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae). It was seen in an area that I know supports […]
Tuesday, 8 April 2025
Despite that first flurry of butterflies two weeks ago there are still no great numbers of butterflies about, but large numbers of Sarcophaga sp. flesh flies have now appeared. Latest flower to appear is Cowslip (Primula veris) widely regarded as one of the heralds of spring. Indeed the ‘veris’ in its scientific name means ‘of […]
Saturday, 5 April 2025
Although another warm and bright cloudless day today there was a very strong wind keeping insect sightings to a bare minimum. I did notice the first hoverflies of the season but as they were not landing for any length of time was unable to identify them. One gorse bush in full bloom hosted a few […]
Thursday, 20 March 2025
During the past 3 weeks or so I have watched the spring flowers coming into bloom on my regular walks into Sutton town centre. First were the crocuses, followed by the daffodils. Then the first of the wildflowers, Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna) the earliest flowering member of the buttercup family, a day or two before […]