Visits to Mum's garden and Cranford Park this weekend

Yesterday I popped over to Mums and had a wander around her very lush garden.

I found a Speckled Bush Cricket nymph.....

 

a young possible 3rd instar Green Shieldbug.....

 

but the only hoverflies I could find were all Eupeodes species.....

 

The high-light of my visit was this beautiful Stock Dove that came down to the feeders,

a possible garden patch tick....

 

As I was away last weekend in Rhyl my good friend Nathalie covered the Cranford Park butterfly transect for me. Although the sun was shining for most of it the wind was quite strong and gusty.

 

Her tally for the 3rd June - 12 butterflies / 5 species

 

Holly Blue x 1

Red Admiral x 3

Comma x 2

Speckled Wood x 3

Small Heath x 3

 

I completed the transect this morning while the sun was shining and the wind was fairly light.

 

My tally today - 33 butterflies / 7 species

 

Large Skipper x 3

Green-veined White x 2

Red Admiral x 4

Small Tortoiseshell x 1

Comma x 2

Speckled Wood x 11

Meadow Brown (first of the year) x 10

 

 

Meadow Brown

Meadow Brown

Large Skipper

Large Skipper

very fresh Comma

tatty and older Comma

Comma face

By the orchard I could hear a lot of young birds squeaking and after shuffling about a bit and peering in to the ivy I could see at least three very young fledgling Wrens....

 

 

Plenty of ladybirds around today but they were all 7-spot and Harlequins. There were also a lot of larvae around too of both species.

 

adult 7-spot

larva 7-spot

larva Harlequin

 

 I counted over 10 Black and Yellow Longhorn beetle (Rutpela maculate), the first ones I've seen this year...

 

 

All of the wild honeybee hives are still active, with the one in the bricked up archway being the most viewable.....

 

Although the first buddleia along the M4 wall is in flower there were no critters on there except honeybees. All of the hoverflies I found today were on the flowering brambles or nettles.

 

Heliophilus pendulus

Episyrphus balteatus

tentative ID and awaiting confirmation - Cheilosia illustrate
edit - confirmed correct

Syrpus species

Other wildlife seen today at Cranford Park:-

Red Kite

Common Buzzard

Common Whitethroat

Blackcap

Skylark

Linnet

Goldfinch

Swift

Swallow

Chaffinch

 

I had hoped for a sighting of the Little Owls. The young owlets should now be visible but the park was very busy today, and I'm wondering if they were hiding from public view. Next weekend I need to do an early start at the park when it's a bit quieter.