KNEETON + DCW.
A misty, moisty morning but then we had the sunniest day for a week and the insects responded accordingly. The objective though was the flora and we managed a good list without any great rarities or surprises for Dave, though I wasn’t anticipating Moschatel Adoxa moschatellina.
Plants with tiny flowers feature in my selection of plant images on the day with these two; Field Madder Sherardia arvensis and Swine Cress Lepidium coronopus…. being the chosen ones.
…being the chosen ones.
Harlequin Ladybirds were frequent, with these two forms being present.
Form spectabilis seems to be the most common and the new Bloomsbury guide on Ladybirds confirms this as the norm but it does not mention the form that I found at Radcliffe on Trent last summer and repeated here which I decided was an orange variation of form conspicua.
This hoverfly, Syrphus ribesii joined me for lunch…
—this Giant Cranefly Tipula maxima (apparently Britain’s largest fly) was in a damp ditch, which is right where it should be and, for something completely different, this is the second week running that I’ve spotted a Victorian letter box though this one is still actually in use. The one on the wall of The Unicorn’s Head at Langar is retained as a curiosity with a modern replacement nearby.
