Insect Day at Maple Lodge NR

Today I was at one of my favourite places - Maple Lodge Nature Reserve - for Insect Day

 

My 'job' was to stay at Comma Corner - a well known place on the reserve - and point out any insects to the guided groups as they stopped at my 'station'

 

I had a lovely time talking about butterflies and ladybirds and beetles - and in between visits I had the corner all to myself and took loads of photos

 

The first butterfly I saw was a stunning female Brown Argus

 

 

I also had the below Large Skipper plus a Small Skipper later in the day

 

and as to be expected there were several Commas

 

Below is why they have their name - the distinctive white 'comma' mark on the underwing

 

There were also several Large Whites

 

and some of the other butterflies seen but not photographed included Meadow Brown - Green-veined White - Red Admiral - Small Tortoiseshell and Ringlet

 

But my most exciting find came very unexpectedly

I've been wanting to see a Marbled White this year - a butterfly that I don't get on my home patch of Cranford Park - so when I heard that there were four being seen at another part of the reserve I decided to risk leaving my 'station' for a few minutes - but my luck wasn't in and I couldn't find them in the reported area

I walked back to Comma Corner to continue my insect search and straight away saw a Marbled White on one of the thistles !! It was a very tatty individual with not only ragged wings but also a hole in one of it's upper wings

 

 

I was quite satisfied with my find until a couple of hours later when a very fresh intact Marbled White landed high up on the brambles - not so good for my macro lens but still nice to see in an area of the reserve that they don't usually get seen

 

 

Another nice find by Emily was this large Summer Chafer

 

 

The two critters below I am waiting for Martin Parr to identify as at least one of them we think is new to the reserve

 

 

The morning was good for hoverflies but after lunchtime it really was too warm for them - I have put the ids under the photos - all confirmed by Chris Sellen

 

Eristalis tena

Sphaerophoria scripta

Syritta pipiens

Eristalis species

Naturally at this time of year there were hundreds of damselflies - the below two are both Common Blue

 

 

Also at my 'station' there were a couple of Peacock butterfly caterpillars

 

 

and lots of Cinnabar moth caterpillars

 

There were also several Mirid bugs

 

I found eight 7-spot ladybirds

 



 

and two 14-spots

 

By the Puddingstone there was a nymph cricket but I haven't narrowed it down to species yet

 

 

Not much in the way of birds today except for overhead flybys from a tatty Common Buzzard and a Red Kite

 

 

I packed away my bits and pieces from Comma Corner at 4pm and made my way to spend the last hour in the Clubhouse Hide where I had my second unexpected surprise - a very nice large Grass Snake

 

 

The size alone tells me it is a female

 

So even though I was 'on duty' today it was a very enjoyable duty and one I look forward to each time Insect Day comes along