wildlife

[ian mcdonald]

Water rails seem to be increasing on our local patch. Usually heard rather than seen though.

[admin]

I managed to get an adult too last month as well as that same youngster when it was very small.

[Steve Garvie]

Nice image Fred!

[admin]

Black Tailed Godwit at Montrose yesterday afternoon in quite poor, flat light.
Nikon D500
Nikon 200-500 f5.6
Hand held. f /8, 1000sec, ISO 1000 to 1800

[brianw]

I have discovered why my garden gets dug up periodically, particularly where there is bark mulch. I dug 3 holes with a trowel, to plant some colchicums through bark mulch, and found 5 chafer grub larvae. Large fat white C shaped grubs with a red brown head and 3 pairs of legs. Curled about 2 cm across and 6-8mm diameter body. Must be numerous for me to find them that easily.
Over the last 2 weeks 1 corner of the lawn near the house is also being destroyed. Full of holes and quite brown in places. Probably too late in the season for insecticide, even if I could get any or pay for treatment, and similarly for the pheromone trap. Trying the old flooding and covering tonight, to bring them to the surface but this is some way from where I planted the colchicums.
This makes me rethink whether I am going to be so generous with bark mulches in future.
Anyone got or tried the chafer traps. They vary wildly in price, with or without pheromone.

[Carolyn]

I'm not convinced that the bark mulch is the cause of the chafer grub infestation.  I have only ever found them while digging up turf from the lawn. i use bark mulch and garden shreddings a lot and have never, I think, found them in the borders, only under the lawn.

[ashley]

Cockchafer grubs are common here, under the grass a few cm down.  Our local badgers enjoy them a lot so it's just as well we're not bothered about having a pristine lawn  
Then for a few weeks every year when the hefty adults are flying they collide into the house windows with a great clatter, reminding us of our humble place in the local ecosystem
Brian I hope you can find a solution that avoids insecticide.

[Steve Garvie]

We are getting some landscaping work undertaken -including an area of decking. The timber seems to have attracted the attentions of a Giant Horntail (Urocerus gigas), also known as the Great Wood Wasp. She created quite a stir when she first appeared. Fortunately I was able to persuade the workmen not to splat her with a hammer. This species looks like a Giant Hornet complete with a needle-sized 2cm long stinger but is in fact entirely harmless. The "stinger" is an ovipositor and this fearsome beastie is really just a sawfly on steroids.

[Robert]

This buck wandered onto the farm property and approached the house. When it stopped on the grass, I snuck out the side door with the camera. At first I could not find it. It spooked and bolted down the hill. I swung around quickly and snapped this photograph with the buck in mid-air. Blind luck on my part! 

Urocerus gigas very 

I never catch insects to pin or examine. Many will not sit still for a photograph. Studying the wing structure and veining, as well as other parts of their anatomy is extremely fascinating.

[Gabriela]

Great shot Robert!

That's an impressive sawfly Steve, I suppose it deposits the eggs in the wood, the same like our carpenter bee which is big as well but not really like the sawfly.

Speaking of giant insects, I found this Northern walkingstick clinged to the car on Monday, so it must have came for a drive from the woods on Sunday! I depose it on a Magnolia leaf - for size idea. Probably a female, the male is usually brown (Diapheromera femorata).

[Robert]

Gabriela,

   Insects are so diverse!

Thank you for sharing.

[sokol]

I guess this is the larvae of a swallowtail (Papilio machaon) - confirmation desired

This species is more than rare here - the caterpillar feeds on Seseli petraeum, an Apiaceae from
the Pontus Region/Turkey

Gerd

You are right Gerd. I have found more than hundred eggs and caterpillars of it this year, mostly at dill and a few at carrots. This was very unusual as they normally place just a few eggs and then fly away.

[Gerdk]

Thank you for identification Stefan! This species is more than rare here in my region. I hope I'll see more
of them next season.

Gerd

[Roma]

Found this in the garden today in a large glazed pot.  I thought at first it was a slug but its movement was different.  this is the third one I have seen in the garden over a number of years. 
Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar,  I have never seen the moth.

[Martin Sheader]

Hi Roma,
The elephant hawkmoth is really beautiful, coloured pink and pale green. I have rarely seen the moths in our garden, but remember (long ago) collecting mature caterpillars, allowing them to pupate and metamorphose into adult moths.
The caterpillars feed on willowherbs, but we quite often find them on fuchsias (also in the Onagraceae) in our garden.