Goodbye Andy, Goodbye Alan

As I am sure long-time visitors to this blog will be aware, for over 40 years I've been listening to and thoroughly enjoying the works of Depeche Mode. During that that time, their line up has been more stable than any other band of similar longevity that I can think of. Vince Clarke left very early on, Alan Wilder replaced him for 13 years and from then on the band has been the three ever-present core of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher. They've had a consistent touring members Christian Eigner on drums since 1997 and Peter Gordeno on keyboards since 1998. Today, far too young, Andy Fletcher (60) died. Andy was pivotal to the success of the band: not as a songwriter, not as the voice or the face of the band, but he certainly was the glue and the heart of the band keeping things together through inevitable rough patches. Whilst I sincerely hope that this is not the end for Depeche Mode, it will be in many respects.

It was even longer ago that I heard and liked Yes, albeit thanks to my Dad playing them incessantly. I've not listened to them regularly over that time or kept pace with everything they've released, and their line up is far from stable or consistent. But one of their most persistent members was drummer Alan White - ever-present from 1972. Alan (72) also died today.

Here's a few suitably sombre looking moths from the garden last night ....

Clouded Brindle

Flame Shoulder

Vine's Rustic

Marbled Minor sl

Tawny Marbled Minor sl

Daily Disco

I swear too much. Generally. The ongoing farce at No. 10 is just a minor catalyst. It may be Toryrettes.

After a few windy days, and then settling out to warmth and sunshine I should have been out somewhere, but for various reasons I've not had a chance. This afternoon I loitered in the garden with intent though.

I noticed a yesterday that occasional small bees, wasps and sawflies were sort of searching holes, albeit in competely the wrong place. We have concrete posts between the fence panels, and the concrete cast has left all sort of sized 'craters' which are not deep enough for anything to nest in, but the prospective nesters and parasites don't know until they check. Today I noticed a couple again, and once armed with camera I pointed it at one to see if there was any discernible details ....

Well, blow me it's one of the yellow-faced bees. Absolutely no idea which one from these shots, so I decided to try and pot the next one I saw. I did. It was a small wasp. Next one, a small bee with no yellow markings. Next one was bigger, and knowing what it probably was I got the camera on it before managing to secure it ....

Gasteruption jaculator sl

I'll keep my eye on this new-found source of interest this week.

Also in the garden today, briefly, were two gaudy beetles. The Wasp Beetle got away, this one sat on the fence for a few seconds ..

Swollen-thighed Beetle

I've also got a couple of sawflies and small hoverflies to look at, plus the garden was again a bit of a hot-spot for Merodon equestris, with at least four invovled (three males, one female - on mating noted).

Female left

Two similar males, note differences in wing-wear

The moth trap has been ticking along, though nothing stand-out.

Lychnis

Vine's Rustic

White-spotted Pug

Annoying the the right antennae was stuck under the forewing

Silver Y

Another annoying moth-photo result - wonky foreleg

Middle-barred Minor

May Highflyer

Peppered Moth

Finally, we've been getting one or two Hedgehogs in the garden, seen infrequently. This evening, well before it was even dusky, this one came trundling up the side of the shed and tried to hide behind a plant pot when it heard me coming ....

Whilst roasting our chicken this evening, I was listening to Sophie Ellis-Bextor on Radio 2 doing a kitchen disco for an hour. Nothing too cheesy, proper 70's club stuff in the main. I am not ashamed to say it was just what was needed - something bouncy and airy and free of the immense weight of bullshit I'd listened to in the preceding couple of hours.

Bits from the Bog

Yesterday I nipped back over to Narborough Bog for a couple of hours in the morning before heading to the LCFC game in the afternoon. Armed with a bit more info, I was intent on properly sorting out the Phyllocnistis saligna mines and I think I was successful, but I'll save that for another day.

Whilst there I pointed the camera at a few bits, but with variable cloud cover and brief sunny spells, coupled with intense wind, it was all a bit hit and miss. Luckily I managed a hit with what has turned out to be a new sawfly for me ...

Athalia rosae

I also found some funky small beetles on umbelifers, that I have seen before but not in Leics. ...

Anthocomus rufus

And the docks were busy with both adults and nymphs of the aptly named bug ...

Dock Bug

Whilst looking for leafmines, I had another look for Bedelia somnulentella and found quite a few more mines than on Wednesday, but better than that I found a couple of adults loitering around on the underside of bindweed leaves.

Bedelia somnulentella

The garden moth trap was out last night for the first time in over a week, and the catch was fairly brown and grey. Not much excitement or colour at this time of year, though it will pick up again in a week or two.

Square-spot Rustic

Vine's Rustic

Small Square-spot

Flame Shoulder

Pale Eggar

Larval Life & Garden Trap

Here's some of the larvae collected whilst trapping at Pickworth Great Wood last week:

Pale Brindled Beauty

Same as above, as it looked last week when I hadn't identified it.

July Highflyer

Presumed Epirrita sp. - maybe Autumnal Moth?

Slender Brindle

Small Quaker

Hebrew Character

The Brindled Green has already pupated (not a very interesting larva anyway), and the Twin-spotted Quaker is in the middle of an instar change so I'll get a shot of that one in the week.

I was in two minds about running the garden traps last night. It was still cloudy, muggy and warm at dusk though rain was threatening and forecast. About 45 minutes after dark it was still dry so I bit the bullet and put the traps out. About half an hour later it was heavy rain .... I wasn't in a rush to empty the traps this morning and may well have missed one or two bits, but suffice to say there was more water in the traps than moths.

Total catch 22 of 13sp
(125W MV 12 of 9, 80W/11W actinic/compact flourescent combo 10 of 7)
0409a Argyresthia trifasciata 3
0464 Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella) 1
1011 Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 1
1728 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) 1
1819 Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) 2
1835 White-spotted Pug (Eupithecia tripunctaria) 2
1958 Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) 2
1997 Sallow Kitten (Furcula furcula) 1
2063 Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) 1
2089 Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) 4
2188 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) 1
2199 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) 1 (NFY)
2384 Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 1 (NFY)

Vine's Rustic

Mottled Pug

From the trap and down the lane

I wasn't expecting too much from the garden traps last night as it has not been that mild and was still very breezy - and both traps looked a bit dead by the time I went to bed. However, going through them this morning, actinic first, on the second egg tray I found this: Superb - a migrant Scarce Bordered Straw, the second wild one for the garden (I reared one from a larva found on cut flowers a few years ago). The rest of the trap wasn't so exciting, and the MV was rubbish. In fact, the MV was so rubbish I've chucked the bulb and fitted a new one to see if that helps next time out. 05/09/2009 - Total catch 99 of 21sp. (125W MV 23 of 9sp., 80W actinic 76 of 17 sp.) First for year in garden: Scarce Bordered Straw (Helicoverpa armigera) 1 Highest counts: Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) 28 Lesser Yellow Underwing (Noctua comes) 24 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 12 Other highlights: Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) 1 Gold Spot (Plusia festucae) 3 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 6 Vine's Rustic A bit later in the morning, I nipped out for a walk down the lane to collect some fresh nettle for these: Small Tortoiseshell from yesterday's walk. I've not reared any butterfly larvae before so hopefully approaching it the same way as I do for moths will work. All being well they should pupate and emerge before the end of the autumn (they overwinter as adults from the second brood). Whilst browsing the undergrowth, I found this larva: Dot Moth - another one to try and rear through Bird-wise, a really smart juv Lesser Whitethroat flitting about in a hawthorn hedge was the clear winner on the interest stakes down the lane. A field that was being ploughed had already attracted a gathering of c40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and assorted corvids, whilst a stubble field held c50 Woodpigeons but nothing else. Still plenty of Swallows and House Martins in evidence. Just as I left the lane and came back into the estate, I noticed a very large moth roosting on the garden wall of the first house in. Close inspection confirmed the expected Red Underwing.