More synchronisation

Grasses can be incredibly difficult to identify, but fortunately - once the initial identification has taken place - many can be readily identified in the field. This is Meadow Foxtail - Alopecurus pratensis:

Meadow Foxtail grass

And this is Sweet Vernal Grass - Anthoxanthum odoratum, which gets its name from its sweet smell when dry, and also from the fact that it is one of the earliest grasses to flower:

Sweet Vernal grass

Of course, as soon as those fresh new leaves are available, the parasites move in. This is the rust Puccinia graminis on Meadow Foxtail:

Puccinia graminis on Meadow Foxtail grass

Now that the sun is out again, micromoths are making an appearance. This is Ancylis badiana, about 10mm long:

The micromoth Ancylis badiana

The larvae of Ancylis badiana feed on various members of the pea family, including clovers and vetches. The larvae of the following species of micromoth, however, are unknown.

Micropterix calthella is always to be found in or near Meadow Buttercup. Adults are 4mm long.

The micromoth Micropterix calthella on Meadow Buttercup

I watched this specimen as it wandered over the flower and then posed in profile. Note the wonderful yellow tuft of hair, like a wig:

Micropterix calthella close-up

Given the adult moth's predilection for Meadow Buttercup, I'd guess the larvae live on the roots of it.

As I was walking along, I felt a tickle on my arm, and I immediately thought "It's too early for midges". I rattled off a couple of shots of the microscopic beast and was delighted to find this minute (2mm) Chalcid wasp struggling through the hairs on my arm. Chalcids are tiny members of the Ichneumonid family, parasitising micromoths and other small insects. 

Chalcid wasp

Note the very sparse wing venation, which is a feature of Chalcids, and also the dark triangular pterostigma, which is a feature of ichneumonids in general.

Staying with parasitisation, I found this 'mummified' aphid on Cow Parsley. Aphids which are inflated and glossy like this have usually been parasitised by a member of the Aphidius family of Braconid wasps, which are yet another branch of the ichneumonid family:

Aphid parasitised by Aphidius sp. wasp

Ferns are all unrolling, now. This is Scaly Male fern - Dryopteris affinis:

Scaly Male fern unfurling

Ferns are a major component of the hedgerow, providing food, shelter, display and basking opportunities for many insect species.

More critical timings

The larvae of the Orange Tip butterfly eat only the seedpods of their host plants (Cardamine pratensis on my patch), so they need to hatch just after the seedpod has formed. This Orange Tip egg has been laid on the foodplant at exactly the right time, just as the flower is about to open:

Hatching will take place about a week from now, by which time the embryonic seedpod will be formed. (Gestation is around 10 days, but the egg is now orange, which means it was laid 2-3 days ago.)

A few insects are dependent on Buttercups, and the first local flower opened today. The larger insect in the following shot is the hoverfly Cheilosia albitarsis, which feeds as a larva on the rootstock of Creeping Buttercup. The smaller creatures are the micromoth Micropterix calthella:

The larvae of Micropterix calthella are unknown, but given the fact that they appear on the same day as the flowers open (and then stay very close to the same flowers for the next couple of months), then I'm sure there is a very tight relationship between the moth and the plant. This mating couple was photographed on the tendrils of Bush Vetch, so you can get an idea of scale:

Another Micropterix species is the wonderful Micropterix aureatella:

This little beauty is only 6mm. long, but is as beautiful as any other species on the planet. Again, the larval stage is unknown, but it is believed to live on Bilberry which is certainly close by.

It stopped raining

Photo location:

Hedgerow, Leg 2.

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I still haven't seen a female Orange Tip butterfly this year, but they're obviously around: most specimens of Cardamine pratensis have a single egg. I'll try to follow a few of them as the season progresses.


For the last few years, I've annotated this hoverfly as 'Cheilosia sp.' Today I took images from all angles and have now refined my identification to Cheilosia albitarsis. Most of the identification features are microscopic, although it turns out to be 'dependent on Creeping Buttercup in wet meadows'. Big surprise. The small beast is, of course, the micromoth Micropterix calthella.

And this is a pair of the same micromoth. When I find these 'in cop', one is always dark, the other more bronzy. Dunno which is which, though.


The caterpillar of the Garden Tiger moth is one of the most handsome that we have. No points for the plant.


I initially thought this click beetle was damaged, but the close-up reveals that it is cleaning its left antenna.


The fungal rust Triphragmium ulmariae is very obvious on the undersides of Meadowsweet leaves.

10 minute dash

I had only about 10 minutes for my photography session this evening, so I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at my memory card later on.

It took me about 20 minutes to get an identification for this wonderful Leaf Beetle, Chrysolina staphylea.


It's about the same size as a 7-spot Ladybird.


The Orange Tips were roosting for the night. This one's on unfurling Broad Buckler fern :


And this brought a smile to my face. These are the micromoth Micropterix calthella on the bud of Creeping Buttercup. Micropterix calthella feed on Buttercups all summer, and this is the first local flower of the year. They just cannot wait for opening time tomorrow morning.

May gets going

The opening fronds of Lady Fern are incredibly geometric:


The first of the micromoths for this season: Micropterix calthella. Length? 3mm. Love the yellow 'wig'.


Is is just me, or are the Germander Speedwells particularly good this year? Serious eagle-eyes might spot a couple of Bush Vetch flowers in there, too.


Female Syrphus ribesii hoverfly:

I'm reflected in the thorax.