Hornet & wasps

Bit of a shock emptying the moth box this morning when I found a Hornet in one of the egg boxes. Never seen one before but it is unmistakable ....

... and huge compared to the regular Common and German Wasps that visit the garden. On Thursday, I split an apple and threw it on the garden for the blackbirds, but they didn't get a look-in. I don't know where they came from but within minutes both halves of the apple were covered in wasps. Within 24 hours the apple had been reduced to a thin, almost transparent, peel layer.

Crane-fly

While moth trapping in Cwmbach, on the 29th August, these two crane-flies were amongst the catch. Having such distinctively marked wings, I thought I would have a good chance of identifying them, but that hasn't been the case and  so I thought I'd post the photos on here just in case. Even if I don't find out what they were, they were nice things to see, anyway.

Looking at the photos, it is clear that the dark markings are quite variable, even between individual wings on the same insect.

Harvestman - Leiobunum rotundum query

I've been logging the wildlife visitors to the garden for a couple of years now and have only seen one harvestman in that time - Dicranopalpus ramosus way back in 2012. So I was surprised to find two last week, one on 22nd and the other on 28th. I think they are female and male Leiobunum rotundum but I would be grateful for confirmation .... or correction.

A greenshank this morning added to a number of recent waders seen at Aberthaw - dunlin, knot, oystercatcher, turnstone, curlew, whimbrel, ringed plover and common sandpiper. I'm quite happy with the picture of a migrant hawker from the pools, although for some reason my plant pictures are not as crisp. Given that these are static subjects I have no excuse. A course in digital photography beckons. Anyway, I think these are Rosebay and, less confidently, Knotgrass?

Knotgrass?

Rosebay

Migrant Hawker

Long Hoverfly query

Garden watching before lunch and caught this hoverfly on Shasta Daisy - could this be a female Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta) ?

Also noticed an Ensign Fly, possibly Sepsis fulgen

On Tuesday I spotted an odd-looking little beastie hunting on the Shasta Daisies but didn't have a clue as to what it was. When trying to identify a recently caught lacewing I found a very similar image to one I had taken. I now think that these images may be larva and adult of a Green Lacewing - Chrysoperia carnea.

I would be grateful for confirmation/correction of my IDs.

Coast Path Nash Point

Nice walk from Nash point to Southerndown last weekend. Lots of the usual suspect butterflies around and also spotted a few Meadow Grasshoppers, but like David, in the previous post, I am trying to improve my wildflower ID skills. Corrections welcome.

Meadow Grasshopper

Cultivated Flax

Carline Thistle

Common Knapweed

Common Mallow

Field Bindweed

Sunflowers

A beautiful morning today at Aberthaw. Over a hundred swallows stocking up before heading south, with a few house martins mixed in. More signs of movement with lesser whitethroat, common whitethroat and chiffchaff about. Lots of dragonflies around, although I was only able to identify Emperor and Blue-tailed Damsel. Butterflies included common blue, small white, meadow brown, gatekeeper by the score and my first grayling of the year.

I also photoed a few yellow plants to continue my floral education. Three below. From my book I'm thinking Large-flowered Evening Primrose, Perforate St. John's Wort and Common (or Welsh?) Groundsel. Grateful for any confirmation or correction! Thanks in advance....