Wednesday 29 February 2012

29 March 2012 - Whittenham Clumps

Centipede spp - ID to follow... one day.

Sunday 26 February 2012

26 Feb 2012 - Whittenham Clumps

Went bug hunting with Max. Turning over logs, inspecting moss and getting stung by Stinging Nettles - oh, such fun!

Searching behind some bark on a decaying tree, we came across a mass of overwintering Harlequin Ladybirds. Some of the wee things were buried deep in the frass - happy as a pig in....

Friday 24 February 2012

24 Feb 2012 - Whittenham Clumps

Scarlet Elf Cap - found near Hazel bushes around the ponds.

Checked a few snails - I think these are Arianta arbustorum. I think...

And the same again.

Cepaea nemoralis.

I had never seen these female Hazel flowers amongst the usual catkins. Tiny wee things - amazing.

Centipede spp - and that's as far as I can get with this beast.

Spid spp.




Earwig - the normal one I think.

Lichen spp - don't think I can make a start on these, yet...

Sunday 19 February 2012

19 Feb 2012 - Long Whittenham Wood

A little beetling about with Max produced a group of presumed Badister beetles.

Further guessing leads me to suppose they are all Badister unipustulatus.

One fallen Ash enabled us to scratch around the rotted heart of the stump - revealing several Lesser Stag Beetles.

This rather an ex-beetle. When it was alive, it was identified by Richard Comont as a Silpha atrata. I agreed...