Another bioblitz

I was invited to another bioblitz on Saturday, this time at Lissan House, near Cookstown. The weather looked pretty dismal when I arrived, but eventually the rain stopped, clouds cleared and we had bright sunshine for a few busy hours. I always enjoy a trip to new locations, since I usually find some species which are new to me.

I was again 'doing' hoverflies, miners and microfungi, but I always reserve the right to make a detour if something attracts my attention. The first plant to catch my eye was Common Bistort, down by the river:

Common Bistort

 This has large, soft leaves and I soon spotted its fungal rust Puccinia bistortae:

The fungal rust Puccinia bistorta

The alternate hosts for Puccinia bistortae are Angelica and Pignut, both of which I found nearby. Rusts usually alternate between two species, but this choice of two completely unrelated alternate hosts is new to me. No doubt there will be others....

Both the Bistort and its rust are new to my species list.

The next species I found also shouted "NEW" to me:

Unusual red form of Gymnocheta viridis

The black spines immediately identify it as one of the Tachinid flies, which are parasitic on moth and butterfly larvae, and although I have seen quite a few Tachinid species, I have never seen a red one before. I rattled it off for expert opinion, and am told that Gymnocheta viridis (which I have shown before a number of times: for example here) can sometimes turn red - due to exposure to sunlight - as it ages. That's not the kind of information you'll find in any books.

I then joined up with two more bioblitzers and we headed for a wildflower meadow, where we found dozens  (hundreds?) of butterflies, including Green-veined White, Large White and Orange Tip all chasing each other around in the fresh sun: a wonderful sight.

Since the Buttercups (in this case both Creeping and Meadow) have just opened, all their associates are immediately in evidence. This shot shows the tiny Hydrothassa marginella beetle, which I have never found away from a buttercup flower:

The beetle Hydrothassa marginella

I also spotted this longhorn beetle, Rhagium bifasciatum:

The longhorn beetle Rhagium bifasciatum

And a single specimen of the Small Copper butterfly, which caused a bit of a stir:

Small Copper butterfly

En route between meadows, we passed through a heavily wooded area, and spotted a dead Birch with three specimens of the Birch polypore bracket fungus Piptoporus betulinum, which I am astonished to find is not on my species list, although I have seen it many times before:

The bracket fungus Piptoporus betulinum

One of these specimens was dissected and a number of small beetles were found inside. Bracket fungi are very long-lasting, and are the perfect habitat for many insects, especially beetles.

New to my species list, for some odd reason.

We also found a couple of ascomycetes on dead Beech:

First a species which glories in the name of Biscoingiauxia nummularia:

Biscoingiauxia nummularia

I am told this is the furthest north that Biscoingiauxia nummularia can be found in Ireland. Now THAT's a challenge......;)

And beside it, Quaternaria quaternata:

Quaternaria quaternata

Both of the previous species are unique to dead Beech, and are both new to my species list.

So that's 5 new species for my list: not bad for a few hours work.

Another great day out, and more new contacts and like-minded friends. These bioblitzes are brilliant.

Sun continues

While much of the UK has been under water for the past month, I'd hazard a guess that April was one of the driest on record in Co. Donegal. Although we've had a lot of sun, the wind has been easterly and that keeps things cooler.

Butterflies are out and about, though, and I've had Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Green-veined White and now Orange Tip.

The male Orange Tip is unmistakeable, with those bright orange wing-tips:

Orange Tip butterfly - male

The males emerge a few days before the females in order to establish their territory, which they will defend against any moving white object, including pieces of paper. The females will be out next week and then I'll be looking for eggs on their host plant - Cardamine pratensis.

Green-veined White is usually the first of the spring-emerging butterflies on the patch. The males have fewer black markings than the females:

Male Green-veined White butterfly nectaring on Herb Robert

Male Green-veined White butterfly

Here's a shot of the female for comparison:

Female Green-veined White butterfly

Interestingly enough, the Orange Tip and Green-veined White share a common foodplant, but whereas the Orange Tip larvae eat the seedpods, the Green-veined White larvae eat the leaves.


Tachinid flies are parasitic on the caterpillars of larger moths, and are readily identified by their extremely bristly appearance:

The Tachinid fly Gymnocheta viridis

Judging by the number of Tachinids I encounter, it is clear that they are serious population controllers.

The Clouded-bordered Brindle moth is normally found from late May onwards. This is fully a month early, so the heat has brought the overwintering larvae on a bit more quickly than usual.

Clouded-bordered Brindle moth

The moth above is rather unusually marked: the central white 'kidney mark' is missing. Compare with this one from a couple of years ago. http://donegal-wildlife.blogspot.com/2010/06/busy-time.html


Breaking news: the recent mystery eggs that I showed in Juncus rush appear to belong to a leafhopper, rather than a sawfly. Full details in the next post.

Not so subtle

After the last entry about camouflage, some of these species seem to be quite the opposite - rather blatant. Bright colouration can, of course, still be protective: some species are toxic and don't mind being easy to see.

I rarely see dead Ichneumonids: they seem to be largely free from predators. I rather liked this rosy one (although I tend to be seduced by any Ichneumonid, really).

Orange Tips are protected by their internal store of mustard oil, which they obtain from the host plant as a larva, and the orange wing-tips of the males are a warning signal to any passing birds. In this shot, the female has her abdomen raised which is basically telling the two attendant males that they are too late:

This is one of the few Tachinids that can be readily identified from a photograph: Gymnocheta viridis. These are parasitic on large moth and butterfly larvae.

(See what I mean about a bristly appearance?)

There are hundreds of Crane-fly species, many of the larger ones looking very similar to each other. This Marsh Crane Fly - Tipula oleracea - has legs which are almost ridiculously long in relation to its wingspan; they reach almost to the top and right edges of this image:

Summer is certainly here: the Soldier Beetles are warm weather creatures. Cantharis rustica:
The hedgerow is suddenly full of tiny glittering micromoths. Glyphipterix simpliciella is dependant on Cocksfoot Grass, and can be seen flying near the host plant in large numbers.

They're about the same size as the black bit on the tip of a sharp pencil. I have no idea what the yellow ?aphid is.