I start with an apology. Last week I included a photograph of a teneral shieldbug nymph which I stated was a Green shieldbug. This was wrong. It was a Bronze shieldbug. Sorry. Thanks to the eagle-eyed reader who spotted my mistake.
It was sunny and hot when we made our second visit to Millenheath.
Five of us met in the field that we had been given permission to use as a car park, kitted up and set off for the first target area of the day. This was the field in which we had concluded our previous visit as we felt that it had the greatest potential for supporting things of interest to us.
Unfortunately it was quite a way from the car park. So getting there took time.
First there was a buddleia at the entrance to the bridle path. This was alive with butterflies. Our brief inspection recorded seven species.
Having dragged ourselves from the butterfly bush we then passed a stand of hogweed whose flowers attracted lots of hoverflies. I only managed to get the others to move by promising to return to the hogweed later!
Eventually we reached the field.
On our last visit we noticed that it contained a variety of habitats which bode well for us finding a good range of invertebrates.
The field is bounded by woodland on one side and a stream on the other so there is a gradual change from dry habitats on one side to damp on the other. Even in its current parched state this change was visible.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
On the other side of the field in the "damper" area thistles flourished.
And where there are thistles you will often find Sloe bugs. This one is a nymph.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
In case you are wondering the Sloe bug was there of its own free will. It had not been placed there to provide an interesting background for the photograph!
Sweeping the dry grass yielded a large number of the rhopalid bug Myrmus miriformis.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
Here we have a mating pair. The smaller slimmer male is at the bottom with the female at the top. The female in this pair is unusual as it has fully formed wings. Normally both sexes are short winged as in the following photograph of a more typical female.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
We also found brown males - their usual colour is green. Perhaps they were as parched as the grass!
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| Photograph: David Williams |
One of the group noticed something in the oak jutting out into the field.
A collection of shieldbug eggs and some first instar nymph hatchlings. Despite their colour these are Green shieldbugs. And, yes, I have had the identification confirmed!
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| Photograph: David Williams |
Now for another youngster that required us to call in expert help to identify.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
This is probably a Dusky thorn caterpillar. It was found on an alder leaf on a tree by the stream.
Two adults that we could identify were a Large emerald moth.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
And a male Bombus hortorum.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
Another species that taxed us in the field turned up in the collection from the vacuum sampler. At first we were not sure what the scruffy bundle was but then its features became clearer and we were, at least, able to say it was a moth.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
On checking the moth identification book at home we decided it was the Nationally Scarce B moth Ochsenheimeria taurella. There is a similar moth so verification was sought and obtained from the County Recorder.
Time for lunch.
As we relaxed and took in our surroundings we noticed Concorde high in the sky!
OK, it was only a cloud - but we are allowed to let our imagination wander.
Lunch over we continued our perusal of the field before moving back to the bridle path.
On the way back we had to pass the patch of hogweed I mentioned earlier. What would it delight us with? The answer was - nothing. Whatever had been the attraction earlier had now lost its appeal and the hogweed was deserted. Sorry for dragging you away earlier.
The vegetation on the bridle path was far more intrusive than it had been in May. And it was covered in dust giving it a surreal look.
I assume that the dust was caused by passing farm traffic which uses the lane disturbing the very dry soil and blowing it onto the surrounding plants.
Unfortunately the dust made sweeping and beating a rather hazardous activity so we restricted ourselves to just using our eyes most of the time.
We walked along the path to the second field which, as time was running short, was only given a very short inspection. Like the first field and all the others around it was parched and most of the vegetation straw coloured.
Back to the cars and home after another excellent day.
My thanks to the owner of the land for permission to visit and do what we enjoy doing and to David Williams for his excellent photographs.
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