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.