Species list

Over the last 5 years I have been building a cumulative species list for my surrounding area:

http://homepage.eircom.net/~hedgerow12/species_index.htm

One reason for moving to the blog format was the assumption that the 1300 or so species on the list would be my 'core' species, and I thought I wouldn't add too many more new ones this year. Not so: I already have 5 new species for 2008 - 1 fungus, 1 micromoth and 3 macromoths. None are rare, so I suspect the list will keep growing as I look harder.

I'll have a think about bringing the species list to this blog in some way or other.

Meanwhile, here are two of the new species:

First, the micromoth (about 1 cm. long), which flew into the study and onto my computer monitor. Hofmannophila pseudospretella - The Brown House Moth (which I rather think is the one that eats holes in clothes):

And a (very poor) shot of the Water Carpet - Lampropteryx suffumata, which came to light at my rear kitchen window. Some wildlife photographers will tell you that flash doesn't scare insects. They are wrong: this one flew immediately after this first sighting shot.


Late update: first Swallow of the year seen flying alongside the road this morning.