Signs of high summer

Much of our wildlife is seasonal, with some flower species in bloom early in the year, but others waiting for late summer before they appear. Similarly, some insects are clear indicators that the season is progressing towards its inevitable close at the end of the year. So it is always with mixed emotions that I greet the flowering of Wild Angelica. Angelica is a wonderful source of nectar, so much so that I can find a single flower-head with perhaps 40 insects feeding on it at any one time. Sometimes there appears to be some kind of truce in operation, where predators and prey feed side by side without much aggression being shown, but other species have no such intentions and use the busy flowers as a richly-populated hunting ground. The first heads of Angelica opened this week, so hopefully I'll have some images to show from it in the next few days.

Marsh Cinquefoil is one of the later-flowering species from the patch down beside the bog:

Marsh Cinquefoil

Although it shows some structural similarities, it's quite different from its close relatives Tormentil, Silverweed and even Barren Strawberry, all of which flower in close proximity.

It took me quite a while to realise that all of my local Birdsfoot Trefoil specimens are actually Greater Birds-foot Trefoil:

Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil

I always find Birdsfoot Trefoil near the coast, where it is a much lower plant, almost creeping and prostrate and flowering much earlier, from May onwards. I just assumed that the early flowering was due to coastal warming, but when I began to investigate my local specimens (which flower about now), I found they were all Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil. The plant is much taller and larger in almost all its parts, although the flowers are in clusters containing more flowers than Birdsfoot. The clincher, though, is to sever the stem and examine the cross-section. Greater is hollow, whereas Birdsfoot is solid.

The appearance of Dock flowers is another sign that the season is progressing. These are the (surprisingly beautiful) flowers of  Curled Dock:

Curled Dock flowers

Given the amount of rain we've had, I have seen very few of the larger fungi so far this year, although the usual rusts are all present and doing well. Ergot is also quite prominent on grasses:

Ergot on Sweet Vernal Grass

Ergot is a fungal parasite on grasses, and contains a number of toxins which can cause a wide range of serious effects on humans or other animals that ingest it. These effects range from circulatory problems and neurological imbalances through to hallucination, limb loss, heart damage and spontaneous abortion. Unfortunately for people in the middle ages, cereal crops such as Rye and Barley are grasses affected by Ergot.

St. Marks flies (Bibio sp.) are usually found at the end of April (and I showed a couple at that time), but the red-legged Bibio ponomae emerges in later summer. This is a female:

Bibio pomonae (female)

In common with a number of other butterflies, Green-veined White has two or even three generations per year. This is the first of the second generation that I have seen this year:

2nd generation Green-veined White butterfly

The hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus is readily recognised by the alternating narrow and broad black bands on the abdomen:

Episyrphus balteatus (male)

And this is a little portrait of one of the grey-banded species - Platycheirus albimanus (female):

Platycheirus albimanus (female)

Despite the damp weather, a few interesting moths have come to light. This is the Satin Beauty:

Satin Beauty moth

It's not quite as beautiful as its relatives, but it is an increasing species. It's dependent on conifers, and has spread along with the growth of coniferous plantations.

The Common Wainscot feeds on various grasses as a larva:

Common Wainscot moth

The July Highflyer can be distinguished from other similar species by the diagonal dark slashes at the apex of the wing tip.

July Highflyer

This species has a wide range of larval foodplants, from Willows to Heather, Spruce and Bilberry.

Many of the micromoths can rival or even exceed the beauty of their larger macromoth counterparts. Dipleurina lacustrata is a good example, although it's only 9mm. long:

Dipleurina lacustrata

The first of a couple of new species for me. First, the Fan-foot:

Fan-foot moth

New to my species index.

And a very atypical Square-spot Rustic:

Square-spot Rustic

New to my Species Index.

The Square-spot Rustic feeds on various broad-leaved trees, whilst the Fan-foot is a recycler, feeding on withered and fallen leaves.

A dry day!

Today was the first dry day since 28th April, so I wasted no time.

The Orange Tip larva continues to graze on the Cardamine seedpods:

Orange Tip larva on Lady's Smock

The micromoth in the next image is the first of two new species for me on today's page. It's Coleophora albicosta, which feeds on Gorse, spinning up inside the flowers and then, eventually, a seedpod.

The micromoth Coleophora albicosta

I like the configuration that Coleophora specimens have....very elegant.

The 6mm micromoth Elachista apicipunctella is a leaf-miner on a number of grasses:

The micromoth Elachista apicipunctella

Moth Flies, or Owl Midges have the most amazing hairy wings. The drag must be immense for such a small (4-5 mm wingspan) creature:

Owl Midge

I thought this close-up of the Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis was worth showing:

Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis

Because of the incessant rain, I missed the very start of the local orchid season. Some specimens of Northern Marsh Orchid already have open flowers:

Northern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella

With all the wet weather we've had, it's no surprise that the fungal rusts are so prominent. Puccinia urticata is specific to Nettle, and can cause these swellings on leaves and stems:

Nettle rust Puccinia urticata 

Fungi are quite expert at manipulating the shape of plants for their own benefit; in this case to maximise the surface area for spore production and dispersal.

Athous haemorroidalis is one of the Click Beetles. Click Beetles have a mechanism (clearly shown in the picture below) whereby they can trap and release a notch on their pronotum with a sudden click and go flying up in the air to right themselves if they get stuck on their back.

Click Beetle Athous haemorroidalis

An identification that has been bothering me for perhaps 8 years has finally been resolved. The Sawfly below is a male Tenthredo livida, which can be distinguished from other Tenthredo species that have white-banded antennae by the two-tone (pale v-shaped) stigma on the wings. You can just make out the red abdomen which identifies it as a male:

Sawfly Tenthredo livida (male)

As larvae, Tenthredo livida eat a wide range of plants, but the most likely candidate in this location is Raspberry. Now that I know what it is, I can check back on Sawfly larvae that I have previously photographed on Raspberry and check them for a match. I like tying up these connections, even if they take 8 years to resolve.

St. Marks Flies continue to appear through the year, and it's now time for Bibio pomacaeus, which is readily identified by the red legs:

St. Mark's fly Bibio pomonae

(The leaf it's resting on belongs to another Northern Marsh Orchid.)

Flies belonging to the Empidae are sometimes known as Dance Flies because they gather in swarms and move up and down in the air as they fly around each other. This is Empis stercorea, which spends its time between dances by catching other insects and sucking out their body fluids with that long proboscis:

Snipe Fly Empis stercorea

Agromyza nana mines Red Clover leaves, and the single larva can be seen right in the centre of the leaf.

Leaf miner Agromyza nana on Red Clover

I think I have a new favourite picture, but I rather suspect I'll get a new favourite, soon.