Back in a sec, just off to the Hebrides

You knew it was coming. A far-flung, people-less part of the UK is beckoning me again. This time I'm heading up the west coast of Scotland to a small croft called Kintra, nestled into the western side of  Mull where I'll spend my time practising organic farming in exchange for food and accommodation, and then in my spare time hike, swim, bird and... you guessed it, moth my way across the island. It's all come about through signing up to the fantastic WWOOF scheme, which you can find out more about here.

I've got a fair bit of land to travel over before I reach the Hebrides and my rucksack is already back-breakingly heavy, so I won't be taking my laptop with me. Unfortunate in that I won't be able to update the blog on a regular basis, although I must admit I'm really looking forward to the lack of screens after spending much of the autumn, winter and spring sat in front of the computer writing essays!

Don't despair though. I'm taking a camera with me, so if I do happen to come across a computer along the tideline, you'll be the first to know how I'm doing. If I can find this weird, magical thing they call 'Wi-Fi', then you also keep up to date with how many Orcas I'm seeing everyday through the medium of my Twitter account.

All that I guess is left is for me and this White-legged Damselfly from Norbury Park yesterday to wish you all a fantastic summer filled with biodiversity.

Odds and ends

A couple of interesting bits and bobs from the past week that haven't yet found their way into blog posts.

It's that time of year when the moth-trap is dominated by beetles. Stag Beetles are by far our most impressive garden visitors, whilst Garden Chafers are amongst the smallest.

The Clearwing lures still work - a couple of pristine male Orange-tailed (above) and Yellow-legged (below) Clearwings have been attracted to lures placed in the garden in the past couple of weeks.

Had a great time surveying biodiversity on Oxshott Heath last Saturday with the LNHS crew...

Cydia coniferana

Sundew and Sphagnum moss

Striped Ladybird

Goldon-bloomed Grey Longhorn

MVR: Migrants vs Residents

As is so often the case with urban trapping, the first week of June has seen catch rates in the garden really take off after a typically slow spring, but the big difference this year has been the appearance of migrant species amongst all the regular characters. Catching a migrant in the trap is always an exciting event, and Bordered Straws are no exception.

Before this year, I wouldn't have imagined catching even one of these powerful cosmopolitan travellers so far inland, so to have three turn up in the past 14 days alone just shows how this season's migration event is turning out to be quite monumental.

Bordered Straw

As if to cement the above statement, a Painted Lady blasted past the window as I sat down to write this post, and is now feeding on a patch of Red Valerian -  the first here since 10th September 2009!

Painted Lady

Not willing to be out done by the far-flung migrants, the residents have also been on impressive form. Buff-tip, Enarmonia formosana and Treble Brown Spot are always a pleasure to catch if only because of their shear beauty, but the real highlight of late has been this Cream Wave caught on 4th - a rare new addition to the garden list...

Cream Wave

Treble Brown Spot

Buff-tip - best animal camouflage in the UK?

Toadflax Brocade

Enarmonia formosana

Freyer's Pug

Denbies

With yesterday seeing such an impressive turn around in the weather, from 50mph winds down to almost flat calm (emphasis on almost), it seemed only right to head straight for the warm, south facing chalk slopes of Denbies Hillside - a gem of a reserve in the Surrey countryside.

It wasn't so much a trip to find wildlife as more of an opportunity to get out from the indoors and into the sun for the first time in two days, but being chalk downland in the heart of the North Downs, there was plenty of stuff to catch the eye.

Fragrant Orchid

Common Milkwort

Nemapogon wolffiella

Nemapogon cloakella

Cauchas fibulella

Teleiodes sequax - a protective 'case' created by the larva by spinning leaves together

Orchid Beetle

Argyresthia trifasciata

Plenty of these can be disturbed off our garden Cypress tree at the moment - the stunning little Argyresthia trifasciata. For someone just starting out (including myself!), the thought of identifying leaf-mines - the distinctive feeding signs left by a caterpillar on vegetation - can be a daunting task.

Indeed, there are many which are extremely similar to each other, require a hell of a lot of searching to find, or just can't be identified at all. Luckily, Argyresthia trifasciata isn't one of them and feeding signs can quite easily be found on the host Cypress by looking for discoloured brown leaves. Opening them up should reveal the feeding chamber which the larva lives in, and also its poo (resembling tiny brown sawdust) - known slightly more scientifically as 'frass'.

Weed culture

The lawn hasn't been cut in over a month, and as a result has become awash with colour from the small, unassuming wild flowers that are beginning to appear. Having spent the past couple of months fascinating over the plants that have colonised the alley way adjacent to our student house (here and here), it's been uplifting to witness the pulling power that they have on pollinating invertebrates - a power that is completely destroyed the minute a strimmer goes over them.

In recent years, wildlife has taken a front seat in the conscience of the average middle-class gardener, not least due to greater publicity surrounding the declines of many of our iconic species. Wildflowers which were previously considered to be intrusive garden pests are now seen as important sources of nectar for bees, and more of us than ever are setting aside untamed areas where grass is allowed to grow tall - we're learning to live with nature in urbania.

They're not weeds, they're wildflowers.

Procumbent Yellow-sorrel

Thyme-leaved Speedwell

Lesser Trefoil

Common Mouse-ear

Dove's-foot Cranesbill

Unfortunately, it's a mindset that hasn't quite reached the local council yet - below is the view from the main entrance to Stokes Field the other day. The flattened grass on either side of the dirt path would have been a vibrant mix of Cow Parsley, Wood Avens and Herb Robert a couple of weeks ago. 

Path widening my ass.