A number of plants in the park - probabyl most - have either been deliberately planted or are garden escapes. Nevertheless they are always worth checking over, with a garden rose being the first thing to catch my eye today.
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Rose leaves mined by - what else? - the Rose Leaf Miner.
Stefen Hill Pocket Park, 4 xi.2019
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Its leaves were covered in squiggly mines, mostly near to the leaf margins, and were the work of the Rose Leaf Miner, Stigmella anomalella. This tiny, and very common insect had, unsurprisingly, been recorded from this location before.
An alder, Alnus glutinosa, proved to be rather interesting and I spent several minutes examining the leaves, catkins, etc. The ovoid female catkins have been pollinated and late winter-early spring the resultant seeds will be shaken out of these 'cones' by the wind. The tree is a native of wet woodlands and river banks; the seeds are adapted for these conditions, with each one containing air-tight cavities allowing it to float to a suitable germination site.
An alder, Alnus glutinosa, proved to be rather interesting and I spent several minutes examining the leaves, catkins, etc. The ovoid female catkins have been pollinated and late winter-early spring the resultant seeds will be shaken out of these 'cones' by the wind. The tree is a native of wet woodlands and river banks; the seeds are adapted for these conditions, with each one containing air-tight cavities allowing it to float to a suitable germination site.
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Female catkins (to the left) on the slimmer male catkins of alder.
Stefen Hill Pocket Park, 4 November, 2019
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The thinner purple-brown male catkins are also present and will plump up prior to releasing their pollen on to newly-developed female catkins in late winter - early spring.
The alder leaves bore the blotch mine of Heterarthrus vagans, made distinctive by the disc-shaped cocoon, usually near to the leaf edge. It is a species of sawfly and though reasonably common is new to the pocket park.
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The circular cocoon of the sawfly Heterarthrus vagans, is here clear to see
Stefen Hill Pocket park, 3 November, 2019
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Numerous other insects were around including shield bugs. Several specimens of Parent Bug were present on the alder, one of their main food plants.
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A Parent Bug, its parenting responsibilities now over, on an alder leaf.
Stefen Hill Pockey Park, 3 November, 2019
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Green Shieldbugs, Palomena prasina, were also present. Throughout the summer they have been bright green but they are now assuming their brown coloration in preparation for the winter where, among dead leaves, they will be inconspicuous.
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Many Green Shieldbugs have now assumed their cryptic winter colours.
Here on ivy, Stefen Hill Pocket Park, 3 November, 2019
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Flies of various genera - Pollenia, Dasyphora, Calliphora, etc were around. I collected a few specimens but am not expecting anything new amongst them. However, on sorting my specimens I found a male of the so-called Gossamer Hoverfly, Baccha elongata, new for the park.
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