[Halo]

June 11 2010

Noticed a large number of dock with leaves that had been eaten away leaving a skeleton. There was lots of dark-coloured grubs on some of them. Goatsbeard, Groundsel and Germander speedwell in flower (other plants of these types have flowered sometime ago though).

[Halo]

13 June 2010

The fields have been cut late last week. Nipplewort flowering. Also tiny flowers on cleaver. Came across some bittersweet (woody nightshade) flowers.

[Dave K]

Saw some wild angelica by the riverbank today, a little early.

[Lightning Hunter]

I saw a 'Giant Ichneumon' wasp in north Hampshire woodland yesterday. I had to look it up when I got home, as I had no idea such a large insect existed in the UK. It was around 4-5 inches long including the 'tail' and had the appearance of a large dragonfly until it landed. Apparantly they're pretty common though, and harmless, laying eggs in pinewood (which it was flying around).

[Dave K]

Quote

Lightning Hunter - 14/6/2010 13:16 I saw a 'Giant Ichneumon' wasp in north Hampshire woodland yesterday. I had to look it up when I got home, as I had no idea such a large insect existed in the UK. It was around 4-5 inches long including the 'tail' and had the appearance of a large dragonfly until it landed. Apparantly they're pretty common though, and harmless, laying eggs in pinewood (which it was flying around).

A few years ago a Giant Wood Wasp flew into the conservatory, like the Ichneumon looks bloody terrifying but harmless. The ovipositor is enough to give anyone with a fear of syringes the willies...

[Halo]

June 14 2010

Cinnabar moth caterpillars first seen on ragwort.

[Lightning Hunter]

Female glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) spotted earlier this evening in the New Forest - my first ever sighting, and much brighter than I expected! It was as bright as the LED on the front of a computer and stood out clearly from a good 20-30 ft away.

[Halo]

17 June 2010

One or two purple flowers on spear thistles. A mound of black fly on dock (with ants) this morning. There was quite a number of aphids airborne last night. Saw a 2-spot ladybird on a nipplewort leaf this morning. A lot of yellow loosestrife in flower now.

[Paul Corfield]

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Lightning Hunter - 17/6/2010 00:37 Female glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) spotted earlier this evening in the New Forest - my first ever sighting, and much brighter than I expected! It was as bright as the LED on the front of a computer and stood out clearly from a good 20-30 ft away.

Glow worms are great and we go out looking at them most summers, the kids love seeing them glowing in the dark. Badbury Rings and the surrounding farmland is a hot spot for them in Dorset and there loads to be seen on a summer evening. Badbury Rings also has the Great Glow Worm Hunt most years where they do a big site survey.The country lanes around that area are full of empty snail shells, they literally crunch under your feet and that's a sure sign of Glow Worms. They love to eat snails. June/July is a good time to see them, just when it's getting dark the females will climb up stems and start to shine as they try and attract a mate.

As Glow Worms aren't all that common you can submit your sighting at  http://www.glowworms.org.uk/

Paul.

[Lightning Hunter]

Cheers for the link Paul - will do :)

I've been to Badbury rings a couple of time before (in the snow last year) - an interesting place.

[Halo]

Quote

Halo - 12/6/2010 08:17

June 11 2010

Noticed a large number of dock with leaves that had been eaten away leaving a skeleton. There was lots of dark-coloured grubs on some of them.

It's the green dock beetle larva that's destroying all the docks on the particular stretch I walk through.

[skanky]

Elder coming into flower at the weekend.
Wood Avens now pretty much all seed heads.

[Nigel Bolton]

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skanky - 21/6/2010 11:20 Elder coming into flower at the weekend. Wood Avens now pretty much all seed heads.

Might have a go at making elderflower cordial this year, if I can find some time. Apparently delicious on a hot day.

N.

[skanky]

Quote

Nigel Bolton - 21/6/2010 23:55

Quote

skanky - 21/6/2010 11:20 Elder coming into flower at the weekend. Wood Avens now pretty much all seed heads.

Might have a go at making elderflower cordial this year, if I can find some time. Apparently delicious on a hot day.

N.

Always a trade-off between the flower cordial for summer, and berry grappa for Christmas. The grappa's always won so far.

[Dave K]

Small green Bush Cricket sitting on the potato leaves last night ( only able to identify it today ). Used to have a few grasshoppers and crickets in the garden despite fairly urban setting but haven't seen any for at least 10 years.

[Nigel Bolton]

Have grasshoppers too, but only a few. Strange what you say BDG, this is the first time I have seen a grasshopper here.

N.

[Dave K]

This is the critter (not my photo) a female Long-winged Conehead Cricket, not a pest apparently but only found in extreme southern mainland Britain since 1945 but spreading northwards in the last few years. I left it alone...

[Halo]

There's lots of grasshoppers seen and heard here. One or two ragwort in flower. The cinnabar moth caterpillars are getting bigger, the flower buds of the ragwort they're feeding on is being munched away.

[00ctober]

We have hundreds of those tiny red spider/mite things around here, never seen so many. Loads of them running around on the window ledges outside. Looking closely some are like spiders with eight legs, two large at the front and others are more tick shaped with small legs - all of them are completely red. The spider ones keep attacking each other, quite fascinating watching them all.

Any ID or name for these please, I've tried googling but to no avail, thanks.