Tiger (Moth) Time

Scarlet Tiger moth, Anglesey Abbey, Cambs.

We have been to the water mill at Anglesey Abbey on many occasions. We have often watched swans, dragonflies and damselflies. This time our eyes were averted by a fluttery flash of red: a Scarlet Tiger moth in flight. I have never seen these magnificent insects in the east of England before, and my Cornish sightings have been few and far between. 

I loaded a photo on to iSpot, and one of the other contributors to the site suggested I contact the County Moth Recorder for Cambridgeshire. I have now had the ID confirmed (not that I was really in any doubt on this occasion), but I have also learned that this species appears to be moving east and that the predominant moth on a relatively nearby fen was in fact the Scarlet Tiger. What a magnificent creature to find in National Insect Week!

Scarlet Tiger

Small Eggar (Eriogaster lanestris) larva, Anglesey Abbey

Our next sighting was less showy, but interesting nonetheless. The moth larva in the photo above floored me somewhat in terms of an ID. As you can see, it was on a pathway with pebble-sized stones, quite close to the Visitors' Centre. The photo fails to show the conifers that towered above the path. 

I had imagined that the 'blanket-stitch' edging would aid identification considerably, but I drew a blank. Once again the folk on iSpot came to my rescue, suggesting an ID of Small Eggar, a 'Nationally Scarce' category B species. I see it usually turns up in the west but that there have been sightings in Norfolk. 

Water mill on the lode at Anglesey Abbey

 

More Hedgehog Photographs from the Trailcam

Rushing for the food before the cats and mice find it first ...

Gently does it ...

 

The New 'Wild Spaces' Project From Butterfly Conservation

 

David and I joined Butterfly Conservation at the start of the lockdowns. For the last two years I have been counting butterflies for the Garden Butterfly Survey. 

Butterfly Conservation has launched a new initiative called 'Wild Spaces'. Participants have the chance to write about their particular wild space and to post photographs. They also have the opportunity to see who else is taking part in their area (for obvious security reasons actual addresses are not shown).  

You can read about the project here. 

Sadly, with a few exceptions such as Holly Blue and Orange Tip, this has not been a good start to the 'butterfly season' for us in our neck of the woods. We noticed that Matthew Oates was saying much the same on X (Twitter) today. However, we finally saw our first Meadow Brown on Saturday, so perhaps things will start to pick up ...

 

βρεκεκεκέξ ~The Frogs Are Back

 

I am absolutely delighted to find that we have a resident frog in both our mini-ponds. Last summer we had one 'regular' with very occasional sightings of a second, so it is exciting to start my 2024 frog observations with two. 

 

Shame about the leaf!

 And this is the second frog in the second mini-pond:

 

For βρεκεκεκέξ see here.

Caught On Our Trailcam

 

We think this is a Song Thrush. rather than a Mistle Thrush: do you agree?

Robin taking off?

A hungry hedgehog

Hedgehog and snail

Hedgehog and snail (2)

Snapshots From Our Wild (Suburban) Garden

These self-seeded Oxeye Daisies are very popular with bees and beetles

We would love to think that butterflies were attracted to our butterfly house

Common Blue Damselfly, 29 May 2024

Sadly some of our ladybirds are Harlequins

Herbs in a trough

Rather scruffy insect hotels, used this year by Red Mason bees

Nettles galore!

Dark Bush Cricket (nymph)

Early Bumblebee on self-seeded Knapweed

One of several Robins

One of many seedheads, awaiting the wind

A largely green scene after a very wet spring

Yellow flag by the mini-ponds. We keep hoping for a(nother) frog...

 

We have nightly visits from a hedgehog. Two visited on 25 April 2023 as you can see.

Click here to see my updated species list.

Trailcam Photos of the Hedgehog in our Garden, May 2024

 

I hope the hedgehog (right) had finished its meal and was on the way home ...

 

As regular readers know, we live in an area frequented by hedgehogs. The photos above are a record of recent hedgehog visits to our wild suburban garden in Suffolk. We put down water and food ... and, as you can see, it is sometimes a case of who finds it first! 

Wildflower List, Home Patch, 2021-2024

 

Painted Lady on Red Valerian, Home patch, 2022

 My fledgling list of wildflowers seen in the garden ...

I have decided to build on a previous list of wildflowers found in our suburban Suffolk garden. Having begun by date of sighting, it seems sense to continue to record in this way. 

If you would like to see my garden list of creatures, you will find it here. And these are the flowers:

 

1. Daisy (20  February 2021)

2. Violet (18 March 2021)

3. Chickweed (19 March 2021)

4. Dandelion (19 March 2021)

5. Herb Robert (9 April 2021)

6. Red valerian (29 March 2021)

7. Goosegrass (with white flowers) (21 May 2021)

8. Buttercup (21 May 2021)

9. Red dead nettle (21 May 2021)

10. Common storksbill (24 May 2021)

11. Red clover (25 May 2021)

12. Poppy (9 June 2023)

13. Small Flowered Cranesbill (9 June 2023)

14. Lesser trefoil (9 June 2023)

15. Wood forget-me-not (9 June 2023)

16. Wood avens (9 June 2023)

17. Purple oxalis (9 May 2023)

18. Aquilegia (?vulgaris) (9 May 2023)

19. Common ragwort (25 May 2024)

20. Pink valerian (25 May 2024)

21. Ribwort plantain (25 May 2024)

22. Bramble/Blackberry flower (25 May 2024)

23. Common cat's ear (25 May 2024)

24. Harebell (25 May 2024)

25. Sow thistle (25 May 2024)

26. Ivy (25 May 2024)

A Mixed Bag of Bank Holiday Sightings from our Garden and Local Nature Reserve

14-spot Ladybirds mating on a nettle in our garden this morning

 

A rolled-up oak leaf on the reserve ... which may suggest that the dangling caterpillar below

... is the larva of Oak Leaf Roller moth Tortrix viridana

... though it could be the larval stage of the Winter moth (Operophtera)

Back in the garden, the caterpillar of the Bagworm (moth)

... turning this way and that

Garden: a Nursery Web spider (left) and a spider exoskeleton (right)

The exoskeleton

A parasitised caterpillar with eggs, apparently (thanks to iSpot), and claspers showing

If I receive more information from the kind iSpot enthusiasts, I will update the page.

RSPB Minsmere: Green Hairstreak and Other Delights

Green Hairstreak butterfly. We saw two of these.

The sun finally put in an appearance this last Thursday, and we headed off to Minsmere with a picnic lunch. This small selection of photos will perhaps give an indication of the wide variety of species that co-exist on the site, despite the proximity to the new and controversial Sizewell C site.  

We noticed our first Large Red Damselfly of 2024 in our garden yesterday. We didn't see any red ones at Minsmere, but we spotted this rather fine Blue-tailed Damselfly in the pond below the visitors' centre.

 

There were a couple of terns at the water's edge. Is this a Common Tern? I believe this is its breeding plumage; but, as ever, please correct me by leaving a comment.

 

 

It is always a joy to see the unmistakable Avocet, the bird on the RSPB logo.

 

 

I think this is a Sedge Warbler. The new boardwalk was alive with birdsong. 

 

 

The photograph above (complete with Spider Crab, presumably the result of somebody's beach-combing activity) shows the seaward extremity of the Minsmere site, with the Dunwich Heath coastguard cottages up on the northern rise in the distance. 

 

 

Yes, it's definitely breeding season! 

 

 

We passed signs informing us that the Minsmere adders were waking up. We did not see any snakes on this occasion, but we saw a couple of Common Lizards. Just as we turned to head back to the Visitors' Centre, a Bittern flew over the reedbeds, too quick to catch on camera, but a joy to behold.