The Beast from the East

 

If you believe what you read, the weirdly alien Delphacid planthopper Asiraca clavicornis appears to be declining nationally. Except that it isn't, well not in VC55 anyway. Over the past year we have added three new sites for this species in VC55. Notably, these are possibly the three best recorded sites in the vice-county, so it seems that this bug is newly arrived, and now it's here it's spreading. My guess therefore is that this species is not so much declining as migrating north and west - a familiar theme. 

 

Entomology Journal - April 2024

Not as much entomology as I would have liked this month due to the weather (April 2024 - the spring that never was?), other commitments, and a troublesome injury. 

What the well-dressed entomologist is wearing this season

I dropped and broke my ancient over the counter magnifying glasses, and even SuperGlue couldn't rescue them, so this cheap eBay visor is on trial. Definite Blade Runner vibe. 

How Bad Are Bananas?

I will try to stop going on about my current climate obsession every month (although I can't make any promises), but if you're interested, you should read this book. Berners-Lee's approach to this complex area is impeccable and will inevitably be thought provoking, most notably to focus on priorities, e.g. don't worry about how to dry your hands if you ever fly - the difference between towels and electric hand driers is negligible in comparison. So, no, I don't have a 5 tonne lifestyle (although I'd like to), but I'm trapped by the paradox of embedded carbon. 

Berners-Lee, M. (2020) How bad are bananas? The carbon footprint of everything. Profile Books.

My Journal, April 2024

01.iv.2024

A showery start to the month. Worked through the Soar Corixids from Croft. Tricky but I am now much more confident with this group than I was.

02.iv.2024

A visit to an unexpectedly sunny Ulverscroft was a nice morning. The Hawthorns are just at the bud burst stage, and frankly looking a bit sparse still. Nevertheless, beating the emerging foliage was a good source for some interesting insects. First is the charming little Lacebug Physatocheila dumetorum, which was surprisingly abundant . This species favours Hawthorn but I have previously taken it from lichen-covered Larch, although the overwintering Larch specimen was very tatty. The Hawthorn today was alive with these bugs, but the species is seriously under recorded, mostly because of the small size (2-3mm) I suspect. Of course I also came across the Hawthorn Leaf Beetle, Lochmaea crataegi - an attractive bonus species! 

04.iv.2024

A nice spidery afternoon. Quite staggering how rapidly ObsIdentify is progressing with Linyphiids.

05.iv.2024

Fiddled around with a new underwater macrophotography setup using one of my long suffering Large Red Damselfly nymphs as a test subject. Reasonable results but more fiddling is required. For more, see: Coffee anyone? Underwater photography for landlubbers

06.iv.2024

On the train it is noticeable how much the trees have greened up, particularly the willows along the Soar. Longed to be out there splashing through the puddles with a sweep net (Storm Kathleen winds eliminate the possibility of beating).

07.iv.2024

As Storm Kathleen sends gusts of faded Blackthorn petals across the garden, on this date in 1775 Gilbert White writes about the same thing, a " Blackthorn winter".

08.iv.2024

Finally managed to mow the meadow. Still far too wet to be on it but there doesn't seem to be another opportunity so it seemed the least worse option (compared with the more delicate species being choked out by the thugs). Sadly this meant having to sacrifice most of the Cowslip flowers. The Collared Doves nesting in the garden have become very stroppy, taking on all comers, including the Magpies.

11.iv.2024

Finally a beautiful spring day so I took the microscope for a drive in the countryside, returning home properly lubricated and dust free, as was the microscope. Ran the moth trap for the second time this year. Only 8/6 moths but some nice specimens.

12.iv.2024

Inspired by yesterday's discussion I dug out my old manual focus rail and used it on the by-catch from the moth trap. Very happy with the results and can't figure out why I haven't done this before.

14.iv.2034

Swiftly flows the Soar. CEH predicts river flows in the East Midlands will be above average for the next three months - a pretty safe bet. A short visit to Everard's Meadows and the first outing with the vacuum for some time, sampling banks newly emerged from the floods. I couldn't resist beating the Sallows though in the hope of something unusual.

15.iv.2024

A "squall line" produced a remarkable start to the day with thunder, lightning, torrential rain, hail, snow and 50mph winds. Huddled over the microscope working in specimens from yesterday.

16.iv.2024

Took a short interthunderstorm walk to Knighton Park and managed to pick up a few bugs (despite the wind) as subjects to fiddle with photography setups during the afternoon tempest.

18.iv2024

Early morning chaos in the garden as Magpies raid the Blackbird nest for the second year in a row. Chicks were close to fledging and at least one escaped so some may survive.

20.iv.2024

A very enjoyable trip to Bagworth Heath with pleasant company. Blessed with sunshine although recent weather means insects are still in short supply. In the garden the Collared Dove chicks have fledged.

Late April 

A family holiday curtailed nearly all entomology, as I was not allowed to pack any entomological equipment. Only armed with a phone camera I was still able to stick my head in a hedge a couple of times and come up with a few goodies, my favourite being the Firebugs, Pyrrhocoris apterus, massing in early season mating aggregations. I also found an 11 Spot Ladybird, Coccinella undecimpunctata, present in VC55 but not common here. 

Read previous Journal entries

Coffee anyone? Underwater photography for landlubbers

 

A great tip from David Pritchard on the Facebook Odonate Larvae and Exuviae - the Nespresso Display Cube Capsule Dispenser, a 12cm perspex cube with good optical clarity. My previous attempt at underwater habitus shots of aquatic bugs (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Duckweed) was only semi-successful due to the iffy optical quality of the container I was using. Nespresso's cube is very sturdy and appears optically clear to the eye - to find alternatives, Google "acrylic display cube" and you'll come up with a whole range of sizes and prices. To put it to the test I used one of the long suffering Large Red Damselfly larva from my pond. 

The optical quality seems to be OK so it would be fine for larger aquatic species, and might be useful for terrestrial species too. What was immediately obvious is that a 12cm cube is too big for the species I am likely to photograph, so I struggled to get as much detail as I would have liked. I can solve the size problem with a moveable clear acrylic divider which can easily be shifted backwards and forwards to create the optimum photographic enclosure, although I haven't had chance to try this out yet. 

 

What the well-dressed entomologist is wearing this season

I dropped and broke my ancient over the counter magnifying glasses, and even SuperGlue couldn't rescue them, so this cheapo eBay visor is on trial. Definite Blade Runner vibe. 

 

Hawthorns Ahoy!

The Hawthorns in Leicestershire are just at the bud burst stage, and frankly looking a bit sparse still. Nevertheless, beating the emerging foliage is a good source for some interesting insects. 

First is the charming little Lacebug Physatocheila dumetorum. 

This favours Hawthorn but I have previously taken it from lichen-covered Larch, although the overwintering Larch specimen was very tatty. The Hawthorn this week was alive with these bugs, but the species is seriously under recorded, mostly because of the small size (2-3mm) I suspect. 

If you spend some time on the Hawthorns, you'll also come across the Hawthorn Leaf Beetle, Lochmaea crataegi - an attractive bonus species! 

 

Entomology Journal - March 2024

March brought a few days when the birdsong and the warmth of the sun on my back felt like spring. Unfortunately, it also brought, in the words of Gilbert White "vast rain". 

 

Solace from Gilbert White

March 9th 1775: Sad season for the sowing of spring-corn. Just such weather this time twelvemonths. 

March 11th 1775: Vast rain. This rain must occasion great floods. The trufle-hunter came this morning, & took a few trufles: he complains that those fungi never abound in wet winters, & springs. 

March 29th 1775: Ground covered with snow. 

Stuck inside on many days when I would have liked to be out, I have taken solace from Gilbert White's diaries. While current climate change is absolutely unprecedented, I have been enjoying a "traditional" English spring, where the blossom and frogspawn appear on time, not weirdly early as they have in the subtropical, worryingly dry springs we have had in recent years. What will the summer bring? 

There Is No Planet B

This was recommended to me in a discussion during a car share (I'd like to pretend I am that virtuous but for practical reasons I don't car share as much as I should). The first four chapters are life changing, or should be. I'm still digesting all the implications from this. Unfortunately this is a book of two halves; the second half wanders off into economics, ethics and politics and doesn't really contribute much as far as I was concerned. Still a must-read for those first four chapters.
Berners-Lee, M. (2021). There Is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make Or Break Years-Updated Edition. Cambridge University Press.

My Journal, March 2024

01.iii.2024

Meteorological spring? Looked out of the window (wearing two fleeces) at the hail I think I'll wait for equinoctial spring. This comes on the day the Met Office announced February 2024 as the wettest on record. Things can only get wetter?

Quite a lot of the day spent discussing LNRS species lists. I wonder how LRNS will be regarded in 100 years time...

02.iii.2024

March weather continues to be meh, so more hibernation over the microscope, punctuated by LNRS pondering.

03.iii.2024

Now that "spring" is here, it's good to welcome the return of winter, with significant frost for two nights now. Sunny and dry. Viburnum Cushion Scale larvae - Lichtensia viburni - very abundant on Ivy.

04.iii.2024

Another good frost. After the thaw, a chilly visit to Shady Lane to tickle the conifers, serenaded by flocks of Goldcrests. Lots of ladybirds and some very nice leafhoppers, the highlight being Viridicerus ustulatus, the first record for VC55.

05.iii.2024

Today we ran a live NatureSpot Zoom session, the first time since the Recorder's Meeting last year. Judging by the email feedback it was popular. Felt a bit like being back in lockdown - am I getting sentimental? :-)

07.iii.2024

An Anthocoris afternoon, sorting the butleri from the nemoralis.

08.iii.2024

Spent the morning tackling the overgrown section of hedge before the birds start nesting. Ivy and Dogrose has great wildlife value but it's a potent combination when it comes to pruning. Found one old nest (Blackbird I think), Common Plume and Nigma walckeneri. In the afternoon, dentist. I preferred tackling the Dogrose.

09.iii.2024

A muddy slog up Bardon Hill to try out my new beating umbrella. The yield was underwhelming after overnight rain, with the exception of a single Tephritis matricariae, beaten from conifers (the third record for VC55, my first).

Returning home, things got better. On 26th January 2022 I was refurbishing a pond in my garden when I found a single female spider which, after investigation, turned out to be Megalepthyphantes sp. near collinus. Quite a mouthful (because it still lacks a formal description and naming), so Megalegs for short. This record was a big range expansion for this new spider. And ... that was it. I have not found any more specimens, and neither has anyone else in VC55. Until, that is, opening my dustbin I found another female on the inside of the lid. To find one spider may be regarded as fortunate; to find two looks like there is a colony in my garden. The bin was crammed with hedge prunings from the previous day, which is where the spider must have come from. I look forward to future sightings.

11.iii.2024

Wet. Microscope. Anthocoris.

12.iii.2024

Wet. Microscope. Anthocoris. First frogspawn in the garden for years, since Ranavirus wiped my garden population out. Will they survive the newt attack?

14.iii.2024

Finished the last of the Anthocoris archive samples with a whole load of A. confusus. Great to be able to work through plenty of specimens and build confidence.

16.iii.2024

Took advantage of the sunny start to go up Billa Barra and beat the pines and Gorse. Lots of bird song. Not too much found except for thrips in the Gorse. So many thrips! When I opened my glasses case it was full of them. They found body cavities I didn't know I had, but the ears were the worse.

17.iii.2024

After an atrocious start to the day the afternoon felt the most springlike yet, with many insects sunning themselves and the first garden Brimstone.

Sorting through the samples from yesterday I found three more Acampociris alpinus. So far I have found this wherever I have looked on Scots Pine. It would be so easy to attribute this flush of records to climate change but the truth is that the season is taxonism - you can bet those pines have been gone over for beetles and moths, but no-one cared much about bugs.

19.iii.2024

Attended the first 2024 field meeting of the Leicestershire & Rutland Hemiptera Society at Moira Furnace. A few bugs found, the highlight of which was Physatocheila dumetorum on lichen-covered Larch, followed by a meeting of the Publications Committee and the Anthocoridae Subcommittee. Felt very spring-like.

20.iii.2024

To celebrate the vernal equinox the garden Robin started belting it out in pitch dark at 4.35am. Hormones are running high.

23.iii.2024

For some time I have been working on an aquatic macro photography setup. My first two efforts crashed and burned, or to be more accurate, leaked. The third attempt is functional but not perfect. Fished a Large Red Damselfly nymph out of one of my ponds to test it. Now to find some aquatic bugs! More details here: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Duckweed

26.iii.2024

Out early to Billesdon in the sunshine. Beyond the ravaged hedges struggling to green up, a Skylark sang. First pond dipping session of the year. Aquatic Homoptera a bit limited but I was able to refresh my memory of a few species.

 

30.iii.2024

A sunny but muddy trip to Croft Pasture. I have never seen the Soar as high and it has made new braided channels across the meadow. Worked unsuccessfully for half an hour without finding any aquatic bugs, but eventually found out where they were all hiding in a sheltered bay by the railway bridge.

Walking back across the road bridges there was a good range of insects sunbathing on the verge. Spring at last? 

 

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Duckweed

This season I planned to work out an aquatic macro photography setup to take more naturalistic habitus photos of aquatic bugs. My first two efforts crashed and burned, or to be more accurate, leaked. The third attempt is functional but not perfect. The setup consists, simply, of a small transparent food storage box:

My first trial was with a Large Red Damselfly nymph, Pyrrhosoma nymphula, which I fished out of one of my ponds as a test subject. It behaved nicely and I got some reasonable photos, although the quality is not outstanding:

I then moved on to the bugs I planned to photograph, which is where things fell apart. I did get a photo of the rear end of Notonecta viridis, but this shows up the defects in the setup: 

Because the subject is close to (touching) the front of the tank, you can see the distortion from the plastic walls in this macro shot, even though the box looks quite clear when I hold it up to the light. This also results in loss of image quality from subjects in the middle of the tank, even though I am not focussed on the front. But then it got worse. I ran into a major problem trying to photograph Corixids. I discovered that  Corixids will only pause having rammed themselves into plants or gaps, making it impossible to get clear shots. In a bare container, they just continue to swim manically. So it's back to the old setup, simply photographing Corixids from above in a shallow white ceramic dish of water:

I'll hang on to my cheap plastic setup which will get used occasionally for co-operative subjects. 

 

 

The Return of Megalegs

 

On 26th January 2022 I was refurbishing a pond in my Leicester garden when I found a single female spider which, after investigation, turned out to be Megalepthyphantes sp. near collinus. Quite a mouthful that (because it still lacks a formal description and naming), so Megalegs for short. This record was a big range expansion for this new spider. And ... that was it. I have not found any more specimens, and neither has anyone else in VC55. Until, that is, Saturday 9th March 2024, when, opening my dustbin I found another female on the inside of the lid. To find one spider may be regarded as fortunate; to find two looks like there is a colony in my garden. The bin was crammed with hedge prunings from the previous day, which is where the spider must have come from. I look forward to future sightings. 

Entomology Journal - February 2024

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Although February's weather continued to be challenging, the month turned out to be unexpectedly productive, including the first record of a new genus for VC55. 

 

Beetles and Barnacles

I spent a lot of February furtling around in Ivy, so for a change I decided to go and bother some local conifers. This turned out to be surprisingly productive, turning up lots of Ladybirds and Bugs, but also a few Beetles. I managed to identify the quite distinctive Cartodere bifasciata without too much trouble, but this 2mm beetle was another story. The Facebook Beetles of Britain and Ireland group was able to confirm that it is Cryptophagus, but Clive Washington warned me that there was trouble ahead. After looking at the key, I decided to give up fairly quickly. It is comforting to know that Darwin felt challenged in much the same way about Barnacles as I do about Beetles (albeit he was far more competent). This has been well and entertainingly documented by Rebecca Stott (Darwin and the Barnacle. (2004) New York: Farber & Farber) - recommended reading. Good to know that Darwin had similar problems with microscope dissections (specimens pinged across the room) as I do (although bugs not barnacles in my case). 

My Journal, February 2024

01.ii.2024 

Back to the churchyard for a few more Microterys seryon, then spent a while taking photos of the hairs on the leg of a 2mm wasp. Entomology! 

02.ii.2024 

Hedge pruning on a warm and sunny afternoon. The Pulmonaria is out and the Hairy-footed Flower Bees can't be far behind. I always think of Maggie Frankum when the Pulmonaria flowers. 

03.ii.2024 

A short trip to Billesdon on a warm morning. Sadly the tidy brigade blitzkrieg has reduced the wildlife value of the site. Sifted a range of things from moss. 

05.ii.2024 

Finished the samples from Billesdon. A surprising range of arthropods hunkered down in the moss. 

06.ii.2024 

A brief, very breezy and quite unproductive visit to Lucas's Marsh before the rain. 

07.ii.2024 

Working on some samples that were sent to me when the thing I hate happened. An interesting bug I didn't recognise pinged off the stage and dematerialized. Why does it only happen with the good ones? 

09.ii.2024 

Unremitting rain. In the ongoing battle of water table versus lawn water table comes out on top. The ephemeral stream that runs through the posh houses is up for the first time this winter. 

12.ii.2024 

Biodiversity Net Gain is here. I wish I could be positive about this but I'm not. Possible gains 30 years in the future but no hope of it being monitored or enforced. We can't even look after existing SSSIs. On the plus side, a territorial Wren singing in the garden. Sorry spiders! 

13.ii.2024 

Out early(ish) this morning for some local Ivy-bothering. Didn't quite beat the rain but was surrounded by enough birdsong to make it feel like spring. 

15.ii.2024 

15C and it feels like spring. Lots of birdsong and a productive session beating conifers. Brimstone Butterflies on the wing all over the County. Some local conifers proved to be very interesting, and I found a single Acompocoris alpinus - the first VC55 record for this genus. Very pleased! 

16.ii.2024 

Buoyed with enthusiasm by yesterday's weather I ran the moth trap for the first time this year. Sadly, it was chillier (6C) and windier than I had hoped and the moths stayed away.  A few years ago I would have expected a few moths at this time of year, but moths in my suburban garden have massively declined. The Met office published data showing that the average UK winter has become around 1C warmer and 15% wetter over the past century. Six of the 10 warmest winters on record were in the 21st century, and four of these also rank in the top 10 wettest years on record.

19.ii.2024 

A short trip to the local park to beat conifers was very successful. I hadn't remembered there were as many Scots Pines there. These proved to be very productive, yielding 10 species of ladybird: 7 Spot Ladybird, 10-spot Ladybird, 18 Spot Ladybird, Cream-streaked Ladybird, Epaulet Ladybird, Eyed Ladybird, Harlequin Ladybird, Larch Ladybird, Pine Ladybird, Scymnus suturalis. Unexpectedly, this is turning into the Year of the Ladybird. In addition to this I also found another female Acompocoris alpinus. A very good outing. 

21.ii.2024 

Worked on springtails I was given from pitfall traps. Was reminded what a taxonomic mess the genus Isotomurus is! 

22.ii.2024 

Another miserable day so more pickled pitfall springtails. Coal Tits are competing with the Great Tits for one of the garden nest boxes. 

23.ii.2024 

Working through some 2023 Anthocoridae specimens I was given. They're a challenge but I do feel confident with this group now. 

24.ii.2024 

Spent the morning messing about with a Harlequin Ladybird infected with Hesperomyces harmoniae I found in the bedroom. Very enjoyable! Also agreed to do my first talk on ladybirds and lead a ladybird walk. Ladybirds ladybirds ladybirds! 

In the afternoon I took advantage of the sunshine for a quick trip to the Botanical Garden where I found some nice leafhoppers overwintering on conifers, Metidiocerus rutilans and Balclutha punctata. 

26.ii.2024 

Visited a private Charnwood rewilding project to do some sampling. Nice day but cold. A good range of invertebrates via the vacuum sampler. 

27.ii.2024 

Charnwood invertebrate sorting. Cold, but the Marsh Marigolds in our bog are out. 

28.ii.2024 

Meeting at County Hall discussing Local Nature Recovery Strategy. In the afternoon I huddled over a nice warm microscope looking at spiders from Monday's site visit. 

29.ii.2024 

Happy Leap Day! I celebrated by staying out of the rain. February seems determined to finish as the wettest on record (close now). Sweet Violets are out on the remnant verge by the posh houses.