Ballyraine National School

Last week I gave a wildlife talk to pupils from Ballyraine NS in Letterkenny. After that, we went out for a walk around the school grounds to see what we could find and photograph. This page shows some of the interesting finds from that survey, and the text is intended for a school audience.

The first location we visited was the Butterfly Garden. This is packed full of flowers that attract butterflies and other insects.

Our first find was the hoverfly Helophilus pendulus. Hoverflies are important for pollinating flowers, trees and fruit.

The hoverfly Helophilus pendulus

Next we found a 2-spot Ladybird. These are much smaller than the more common 7-spot Ladybird, which we also saw.

2-spot Ladybird

Another part of the Butterfly garden contained Lupins, and these attracted workers of the White-tailed Bumblebee:

White-tailed Bumblebee

You can see the bright orange Lupin pollen in the pollen baskets on her legs. This pollen will be taken back to the nest to feed the growing grubs.

At first, I thought this was a little Sepsid Fly, but some research reveals that it's the much rarer Rivellia syngenesiae, which I haven't seen before (and there are no previous records in the National database!)

Rivellia syngenesiae

That little fly is only 3-4mm. long!

We then moved to the area of woodland at the edge of the School grounds, where we found a number of leaf-mining species. Leaf-miners live inside leaves, eating the middle layers of the leaf where they are protected from predators such as birds and other insects.

The mine of Phytomyza ranunculi on Creeping Buttercup

We also found the mine of Caloptilia syringella, which mines Lilac, Privet and Ash:

Mine of Caloptilia syringella on Lilac

Caloptilia syringella is the only leaf-miner on Ash, so it is fortunate that they also use other plants which will help them to survive if the Ash trees die in the next few years.

Most miners make their own mine, but some species make communal mines. This photograph shows two larvae of the leaf-mining fly Pegomya solennis on Dock:

Larvae of Pegomya solennis on Dock (heads to the left)

Some other species of flies also use leaves, but in a different way: Leaf galls are growths created by flies (and sometimes other insects) to make a shelter to live inside and feed on.

This is a Pontania gall on a Willow leaf:

Pontania leaf gall on a Willow leaf

And these galls are made by another species - Eriophyes sorbi - which is also new to me:

Eriophyes sorbi galls on Rowan

In the same location, we found this tiny fly:

Tiny Fly with iridescent wings

And also this Dung Fly, which was waiting to pounce on any passing insect:

Dung fly poised to leap out on any unsuspecting prey

Towards the end of the walk we found some Foxgloves:

Foxglove, a highly poisonous plant

And a single Herb Robert flower framed by the fencing:

Herb Robert

I have submitted records of all these species to the National Biodiversity Database which will help to build up a record of where our species are located.

The school website can be found here.

Mixed weather

We're having sunny spells, showers and heavy rain in waves these days. Still, it beats the perma-rain of the last two years.

I really liked this shot of the 7-spot Ladybird. These are voracious predators of aphids, and if you look closely under the left-hand side of the leaf, you can see the antennae of its dinner.

"It's behind you"

This young Rabbit has taken up residence in the ancient Hawthorn hedge at the bottom of my garden: it seems to like being near the hens. I'm happy with all of that, but I'm rather keen that it doesn't find my vegetable plot, which is perhaps another 10m on the other side of the coop.

Young Rabbit

New to my Species Index.

Most beetles have wings which are folded away under the two elytra, which themselves are actually modified wings. The wings can be inflated at incredible speed, and you have to be very quick to catch the unfolding process taking place. I watched this Click Beetle flying from plant to plant and managed to anticipate the moment of launch:

Click Beetle preparing to fly

Leucozona lucorum is a hoverfly that is around in great numbers at the moment. They are very flighty (and will be until the mating season is over), so shots have to be taken very quickly:

The hoverfly Leucozona lucorum

Orange Tip butterflies were very late this year - at least 4 weeks and maybe 6 weeks later than I would expect. Their season is timed to match their foodplant (Cardamine pratensis in this area), and once the eggs have been laid, the adults fade away over the next week or two and won't be seen until May next year, when the next generation hatches.

Male Orange Tip butterfly

Fortunately, I have found a few larvae feeding on the seedpods:

Orange Tip larva on Cardamine seedpods

This is a strange visitor to our area. Salad Burnet - Sanguisorba minor - is a lime-loving plant, and we are are on strongly acidic soil. A few years ago, I limed part of my vegetable plot and I think this came in with a salad mix that I sowed around the same time.

Salad Burnet - Sanguisorba minor

New to my Species Index (although I think it's a bit of a cheat).

For a few years, I have been following the fortunes of a patch of pure white Bush Vetch that I found near the high heath. Many sports don't last long, but this patch is increasing in size and seems to have no problems attracting bees to pollinate it.

White version of Bush Vetch

I have read that a few plant species with blue flowers can occasionally throw pure white sports, mainly in the West. I suppose the ultraviolet parts of the flower still work, even though it's purest white to our eyes.

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.

Bioblitz!

Last Saturday saw Bioblitz 2013 in Ireland: 4 locations competed to see which could record the highest number of species in 24 hours. The full story is at http://bioblitz.biodiversityireland.ie/

I was at Colebrook where we recorded 1086 species to top the list. My specialist areas were leaf-miners, micro-fungi and hoverflies, but most of us recorded whatever we saw during the day. I didn't manage to photograph everything I recorded, but this post contains some of the more interesting images.

Since I was 'doing' miners, I headed directly for the main wooded area and immediately found many mines of the weevil Orchestes fagi:

Mine of the weevil Orchestes fagi

A couple of things are worth noting about this miner. First, the leaves of beech trees have only been open for around a week, and the mine has already completed. The larva can only eat fresh leaves (when they are very soft) so no time is wasted when the leaves are unfurling. Second, most of our leaf mines belong to moths or flies, with a few sawflies making up the numbers: there are very few beetles that make mines. Finally, miners that make corridor mines (like the first part of this mine) are severely limited in size by the width of the mine and thickness of the leaf. Species that make blotches (like the final part of this mine) can grow to much larger sizes as larvae, and hence result in larger adults. Having said that, the adult weevil is only 3 mm. long.

Staying with weevils, here are two shots of another weevil: Phyllobus glaucus:

The weevil Phyllobus glaucus

The weevil Phyllobus glaucus

This is a feeder on broadleaf trees, usually near water. Thanks to Malcolm Storey for the id on that one. New to my species list.

While I was near the river, I also recorded a few microfungi on grasses and leaves, although nothing new to me.

I also found this stonefly, which appears to be one of the Perlodidae, but I don't have a key to get it any closer:

Adult Stonefly

Stoneflies are always found close to water, since the larvae are aquatic.

Another very fruitful area was the marshy area further along the river. This was a wonderful environment with dappled sunlight filtering down to an old pond. The fringe was surrounded by Marsh Marigolds:

Marsh Marigolds

And Skunk Cabbage, which is an escape:

Skunk Cabbage

Each of the plants is around 1 m. across.

New to my Species List.

Further in, I found the Green Tortoise Beetle, Cassida viridis:

Green Tortoise Beetle - Cassida viridis

The Cassida family of beetles are paranoid about safety: the larvae carry an 'umbrella' of dead skin and dung to ward off predators, the adults are 'stealth'-shaped in order to avoid casting shadows, and when they are flat to a leaf, present nothing for a predator to grasp.

New to my Species List.

The hoverfly Rhingia campestris has a tongue which folds and unfolds in a zig-zag fashion. When not in use, it stores it in the projection in front of its face:

The hoverfly Rhingia campestris

Solitary mining bees are very busy at the moment, stocking up pollen to feed their larvae. There are many species of Andrena, and this seems to be Andrena haemorrhoa, although it shows similarities to a couple of Andrena species that haven't previously been recorded from Ireland.

Andrena haemorrhoa mining bee

This Empid Fly had captured a specimen of Bibio marci:

Empid with Bibio marci as prey

Bibio sp. are known as St Mark's Flies because they normally emerge around April 28th. They are a month late this year.

Syrphus sp. hoverflies can be difficult to separate without a magnifying glass. This male has hairy eyes, which makes it safe to call it Syrphus torvus:

The hoverfly Syrphus torvus

One sunny day

This year seems to be following the pattern of the previous two: once the frost is gone, we enter a period of extended rain and showers that lasts all the way through May and beyond. Any days with sunshine, therefore, are both welcomed by me and utilised fully by insects.

I have seen a couple of white butterflies on verges as I drove along, but this is the first that has settled long enough for a photograph. It's a male Green-veined White: the females have more spots which are also more pronounced.

Male Green-veined White

This is the first of this year's spring butterflies. These Green-veined Whites will have at least one further generation in July, and maybe another one later in September, but I rather suspect this will be a two-brood year given the lateness of the first. Just to keep things amusing, the second generation have more pronounced markings, with second generation males looking quite like first generation females....

The Speckled Wood is also rather late this year:

Speckled Wood butterfly

This is another butterfly that can have three generations per year.

Here's the underside:

Speckled Wood - underside

A couple of years ago, I was photographing fungi in September, and a Speckled Wood landed beside me on some fallen leaves. I turned to reach for the camera and when I turned back I couldn't see it, although I knew exactly where it was. It took me a good 10-15 seconds to see through the camouflage and get the shot.

Most of the 'regular' hoverflies are now present, although still in quite small numbers. This is the extremely common Melanostoma scalare, probably my most frequently-encountered hoverfly:

Female hoverfly - Melanostoma scalare

I still haven't seen a single Orange Tip butterfly this year. Last year I reported that someone had very carefully gathered every single specimen of Cardamine pratensis on the patch and left them in a pretty little 'posy' at the end of the hedgerow. I suspect the entire local population was wiped out at that time. I'm hoping that some mated female finds the couple of flowers that have opened this year and restarts them. The simplest act can have the most devastating effect.

Heat at last

We had a couple of warm days and suddenly everything is moving.

Solitary bees dig private tunnels in soil where they lay their own eggs and bring back pollen to a store which will feed the larvae when they hatch. These nests are often grouped in 'aggregations' of tunnels where the situation is favourable, but each individual tunnel remains self-sufficient. The largest family is Andrena, where the females can often resemble small bumblebees. My favourite is Andrena cineraria, where the female appears to be wearing a Barbarians rugby jersey:

Female Andrena cineraria gathering pollen

Once the pollen has been gathered, the female will seal the tunnel and the larvae will hatch, eat the pollen, pupate and then hibernate until next spring. The species with the shortest season is Andrena clarkella, which feeds exclusively on Willow pollen, and most nests will already be sealed: this is a bee that can be seen for perhaps 50-60 days each year.

Staying with Dandelions, I spotted this 14-spot ladybird in the precise centre of one. this will give a good idea of scale:

14-spot ladybird on Dandelion

And an intriguing shot of an aberrant Dandelion:

Aberrant Dandelion

Dandelions belong to the Compositae, which includes Thistles, Daisies, Knapweed, etc. Each 'flower' is actually a composite collection of individual flowers, some of which are Ray florets (the outer ones), and an inner group of Disc florets. This specimen appears to have dispensed not only with disc florets, but also with the reproductive parts of the ray florets. I rather suspect that this is a genetic experiment that is doomed to be unfit for survival. All flowers on the same plant were identical.

The following shot shows just how late this year has become. I normally see Greater Stitchwort in late March, but this specimen is at least 6 weeks behind the usual date:

Greater Stitchwort

Lady's Mantle has a habit of not being there one day, and then being fully opened the next. When I was down taking a shot of the lovely folding leaves, I noticed a couple of other leaves waiting to be discovered:

a) Lady's Mantle b) Meadowsweet c) Meadow Buttercup

Flowers of the Lady's Mantle are at the lower left.

I wasn't expecting to see too many fungi at this time of year, but I found a couple of very old Polyporus badius on dead Snowberry:

Polyporus badius

And a couple of specimens of a Psathyrella which I think is Psathyrella spadiceogrisea. I'll do some microscopic work on these once the spores have been gathered:

Psathyrella cf. spadiceogrisea

Yesterday, I saw 3 species of butterfly in the garden. There were perhaps half a dozen Small tortoiseshells, a single Green-veined White and late on, a single Speckled Wood.

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly

The Green-veined White and Speckled Wood are this year's first butterflies, whereas the Small Tortoiseshells are actually last year's autumn brood which have emerged from hibernation. Orange Tip has to be next, since the Cardamine is out.

Bilberry has flowered, so perhaps we might see a Green Hairstreak or two in the next week or so:

Bilberry flowers

I was a little surprised to find Field Woodrush on the patch. I normally see Heath Woodrush, and maybe I have been ignoring these smaller specimens. One major clue to identification is the pale 'blob' at the end of each leaf:

Field Woodrush - Luzula campestris

Lastly for today, a few specimens of Green Alkanet were spotted on a verge at the side of a remote road:

Green Alkanet

These are garden escapes, but I cannot imagine anyone taking their garden refuse for such a distance in order to dump it. Maybe bird-sown.