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Warburg NR – 21st August 2010

The rather cloudy and humid weather didn’t put off the hardier members and we had a total of 12 people along for the Warburg insect walk today. We had a bit of drizzle at one point but generally the weather wasn’t bad and the temperature held up so insects were very abundant.

Butterflies & moths included: Silver-washed Fritillary (very ragged), Essex Skipper (just 1), Common Blues, Brown Argus, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Comma (very worn), Peacock, Small Tortoishell, Small White, Yellow Shell, Treble-bar, Common Carpet.

Other notable insects: Volucella inflata (a rather jolly black and orange hoverfly of ancient woodlands), Volucella inanis (a large wasp-mimic hoverfly), Chrysotoxum bicinctum, Pipizia lugubris, Episyrphus balteatus (the marmalade hoverfly), Tachina fera (a large parasite fly), Phasia obesa (a small bug parasitoid), Machimus atricapillus (a medium-sized grey robber fly), Dark bush-cricket, Speckled bush-cricket, Roesel’s bush-cricket (heard only), Common Groundhopper, Field Grasshopper, a False Ladybird (Endomychus coccineus), Tiphia femorata (a black, hairy solitary wasp with orange legs).

Despite (or perhaps due to) the cooler than average conditions there were plenty of Slow-worms and Common Lizards basking on wood piles or under tin sheets.

Some photos from today:

This article will be updated when Rod gives me his list of interesting things 🙂