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

Tuesday 6 August 2019

Still Around

Not had a chance to do much lately; busy at work, back into hospital for another op (last one I hope) and then some indifferent weather. So not a lot to report, but I have managed to pull in some new for garden moths ... although only one of them looked nice!

Tree-lichen Beauty - 29/07/2019

Still a good rarity in VC55, first was recorded last year and there was one this year prior to mine in Rutland. First time I've recorded it anywhere, though I have seen one before when we trapped in Suffolk and one was taken up the road.

Also a couple of NFG micros, but neither were very attractive!

A moribund Small China-mark - 16/07/2019

A worn Eana incanana - 16/07/2019, with one even less well marked the night before

Aside from running the moth trap, I've been attracting a range of species to rotting fruit and sugar, as well as to my pathetically small garden buddleija. But mainly I've been luring Old Ladies.

17/07/2019

22/07/2019

03/08/2019

A walk down the lane on Sunday brought a few expected larvae, and an unexpected orthopterid .....

Various instar Small Ranunculus on Prickly Lettuce

A load of Cinnabar on one Common Ragwort plant that they'd stripped

Never seen Roesel's Bush-cricket anywhere near here before

Aside from all that I've been setting up and getting to grips with a new family PC, almost exactly nine years since the last time I went through this. Of course that means having to accept the inevitable Windows 10, but so far all good and I've got all my software working (including MapMate, a new version of Photoshop Elements, my USB microscope, and I've got all my music and synth software working). It's not the best on the market but the best for a reasonable price; 2.9GHz hex-core 9th gen i5 chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 2TB HDD, more USB ports than I know what to do with. Should last the best part of another decade ..... perhaps!

Anyway. I'm back up to full physical functionality just in time for a beer n balti night at the T20 blast cricket tomorrow and the start of the Premier League at the weekend.

2 comments:

Gibster said...

Good grief, those Old Ladies are positively lapping up that sugar mix. Can't say I've ever seen one coloured quite like the lower right individual. Glad you're fit as a fiddle, buddy! PS - moribund isn't a strong enough word for that poor china mark, ha!

Skev said...

That Small China was still clinging onto life .... or at least twitching involuntarily every now and then!