What a much needed wet week. I don’t mind working in the rain too much but on Monday I struggled to keep upbeat. While waiting at a bus stop (without a shelter) during very heavy rain it started finding a way through my waterproofs. Singing helped keep me positive, although rain seeped into my singing too. Eventually the Morecambe and Wise ‘I’m Singing in the Rain’ sketch came to mind and I started giggling to myself. I didn’t go as far as splashing in puddles and dancing on the bench though.
Thankfully there were moments of respite during the day and a few insects braved the weather, mainly;
– a Common carder (Bombus pascuorum) bee on Caryopteris clandonensis ‘Dark Knight,
– a Heath bumblebee (Bombus jonellus) visiting some Asters,
– and two Cinnamon bugs (Corizus hyoscyami) on some dried Purple toadflax (Linaria purpurea) seedhead.
I’m not sure they would have managed to get much sap from the plant. At least the photo is better than the last one I took of a cinnamon bug (see Blooms, Bees and Bugs).
Last week I also noticed more Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) around. The softened ground has enabled them to cache nuts that are falling from the trees at the moment; hiding acorns keeping them busy.
Lots of Craneflies (Tipula paludosa) were noticeable too. Presumably I kept disturbing them as I worked because they were flying during the day. Their larvae, known as Leatherjackets, eat grass roots at night which causes patches of dead grass (therefore they are regarded pests of pristine lawns). Insect feeding birds gorge themselves on these, often leaving bits of loose grass where they have been. Unlike Leatherjackets, Craneflies don’t feed but try to find mates. It is possible to sex them, if the abdomen is pointed rather than squared it is a female (as the ovipositor can be seen). I still like to call them Daddy long legs as I did in childhood.
On Wednesday, as I worked near a pond, I witnessed a female Southern hawker (Aeshna cyanea) dragonfly laying eggs. She flew and stopped at various points around the pond edge, wherever there were gaps.
Then later in the week I discovered a Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) fungi on a tree trunk,
as well as a Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa) moth. The Larvae of this moth feed on grasses.
The pattern on the forewings reminded me of stain glass windows and was very pretty.
Bee in the Moment 