Birds, Leps, Observations & Generalities - the images and ramblings of Mark Skevington. Sometimes.

Thursday 24 September 2015

Bright-line Brown-eye

I'm really having a very lucky year for new breeding macros in the garden. Here's another one that I just noticed resting on a wall as I went to plug in the lawn mower on Sunday. I've had it boxed up feeding well on common weeds (dock, dandelion etc) and I've finally got around to working out what it is. Undoubtedly not the first time it has bred in the garden but the first time I've noticed and identified it.

Bright-line Brown-eye

Thursday 17 September 2015

Buff-tip

Yesterday morning, after I'd parked my car further down the driveway than usual, I noticed that the car roof had been showered with frass overnight. Sure enough, a quick glance up to the cherry tree showed some heavy defoliation high up in the canopy. Later when I got home from work, a quick search with bins revealed a large number of larvae in several groups. I got the ladders out and lopped off a branch with some larvae to check them out and rear through. Turned out to be Buff-tip - another new breeding species for the garden list.