July 31, 2008
Meanwhile, back at the lab...
... the spell of hot weather has produced an explosion of lepidoptera, the best of which was this Hummingbird Hawkmoth...
... but also included multiple Peacocks...
Gatekeepers...
Commas...
... and Six-spotted Burnets.
We took advantage of the good weather to survey a couple of 2km squares close to Cambridge for the forthcoming county ladybird atlas. We found 10 species in a single cemetery in town, including this critter in a lime tree.
We believe it to be Rhizobius chrysomeloides, a species first recorded in the UK in 1996. This may well be the first county record - watch this space!
Also seen was a single Orange Ladybird...
and a bizarre-looking young Cream-streaked.
As a birdy bonus we had nice views of a male Bullfinch feeding at the roadside.
This odd-looking pupa we picked up while ladybirding...
... turned into a Magpie Moth.
