Today much of what had been rather unproductive ground for an entomologist was now a sea of hogweed.
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Hogweed, with its large umbels, seemed to dominate parts of
Byfield Pocket Park, Northants. 15 June. 2020
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On closer inspection there were relatively few insects on the umbels but the sight was still a pleasing one. Red Campion, Silene dioica, was growing near to the entrance and its leaves were being mined by the fly, Aulagromyza flavifrons.
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As is so often the case, the flowers of red Campion were very pale.
Byfield Pocket Park, 15 July, 2020
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This is very common on campions, often forming a vague patch but this was a far more distinct mine - and was the 199th species recorded from the pocket park. A good start!
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The red campion leaves had been mined by Aulagromyza flavifrons.
Byfield Pocket Park, 15 June, 2020
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A nearby plant of Cocksfoot Grass, Dactylis glomerata, was also being mined. It was probably the work of a micro-moth and the culprit may have been the Black-headed Dwarf, Elachista atricomella. But this is a bewildering field for the non-expert and I can have little confidence in my identification as I feel that the mine should hade been paler. I will not record it.
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Elachista atricomella? Perhaps. It was on Cocksfoot Grass at Byfield
Pocket Park. 15 June, 2020
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Several plants of Teasel, Dipsacus fullonum, were present and will soon be in flower, when they will be a magnet for many insects, especially bees.
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A couple of weeks and the teasels will be in flower. Byfield Pocket Park,
15 June, 2020
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Their prickly leaves are in pairs and join each other at the base (an arrangement known as connate) and so form a cup.
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The connate leaves of the teasels were holding water.
Byfield Pocket Park, 15 June, 2020
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Today the cups held water and John Clare must have observed birds drinking from these. I often quote the lines he wrote:
By the hot relentless sun
E'en the dew is parched up
From the teasel's jointed cup:
Oh poor birds, where will ye fly,
Now your water pots are dry?
Noon, 1820
A beech hedge is present at one edge of the pocket park and on some of the leaves a rash of tiny galls was developing. The may be the early stages of the mite, Aceria nervisequa, and I will need to watch their development. But hardly exciting!
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Aceria nervisequa? Perhaps. I'll monitor their development.
Byfield Pocket Park, 15 June, 2020
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Time to pick up Chris, who was visiting her friend Julie Ferguson. Julie's garden is of considerable interest. Aquilegias in her from garden were being mined by Phytomyza minuscula. Its larvae form obvious mines, distinct from the more amorphous blotches of P. aquilegiae.
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The mines of Phytomyza minuscula are probably common on
aquilegias. Byfield, Northants. 15 June, 2020
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Both are common, but the maps of the NBN (National Biological Network) show relatively few records; perhaps people don't bother to record them.
All in all, quite an interesting morning.
I took home some birch catkins and later extracted some fruit for examination under the microscope. Some of the fruits bore pits caused by Semudobia betulae. This is a cecidomyiid fly and the NBN maps (see above) show only 17 records for the whole of Britain. Of course very few people have the time or the interest to do this sort of job and the fly is probably widespread.
I took home some birch catkins and later extracted some fruit for examination under the microscope. Some of the fruits bore pits caused by Semudobia betulae. This is a cecidomyiid fly and the NBN maps (see above) show only 17 records for the whole of Britain. Of course very few people have the time or the interest to do this sort of job and the fly is probably widespread.
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