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July 27th to August 2nd

Sunday and the start of another week. I have included this photograph from last week as I have found out that it is not as I suggested a Plain Wave but is more probably a Riband Wave.  The information which I have kindly been given by Ian Kimber who runs the website on UK moths states, that the Plain wave has the outer line without the 'jagged' bit near the leading edge of the forewing, and looks like a smooth curve instead.  The Riband Wave has a banded form and a 'plain' form like this, known as ab. remutata, but in fact both forms are roughly equally common. Ian was also kind enough to identify the moth that I found indoors last week, the picture is to the right. He informs me that it it Endotricha flammealis, one of the Pyralidae group of moths.

I have found Ian's site most interesting and informative and can recommend it to go there simply click here. 

Already this week has proved excellent for photography as in trying to obtain a photo of the dunnock (always in our garden but which doesn't stay still long enough for me to focus on it efficiently) I managed to take a quick snap of this wren. Not the highest quality but a picture that I was delighted to get. Also I managed to take a picture of this jay as it lurked in our crab apple tree.

On one of our small conifers are a great number of spider's webs which seem to be on the surface but not the beautifully constructed webs that we see on our hedgerows in the winter laced with frost. These webs on our conifer seem rather untidy. On a couple of occasions I have seen a spider lurking just behind one of them and although I have tried to capture it on the camera it has usually turned tail and gone into the depths before I was able to do so. However this morning it came out towards me and the result is here. I think it is a mesh-web spider but am willling to be told otherwise. To see a better definition click on the larger of the two pictures.

Monday, 28th July and these photos resulted from a walk yesterday afternoon when we saw this amblyteles armatorius feeding on a fennel plant. 

29th July. These two moths were to be found yesterday evening on outside walls of the house near lights left on with the intention of attracting such creatures. The one to the left is probably a marbled beauty , whilst that on the right I believe to be blastobasis decollorella.

30th July and another month almost gone. Yesterday had coffee in the church as usual and while waiting for others to join me had a quick wander in the churchyard. The result of which was the moth, a Blood-vein Timandra griseata, and the tiny froglet that are both pictured here. In the afternoon we went to babysit our grandchildren in Kings Lynn and missed a couple of photo opportunities but on our return found this tiny moth, about 5mm long in the kitchen. I will try and ascertain what type it is. July 31st I believe that because of it's size and where I found it this small moth may be the White-shouldered House-moth Endrosis sarcitrella.

On a stinging nettle in the area in which we have a small allotment I discovered this caterpillar. I suspect that it is that of a small tortoiseshell butterfly but have been wrong so often of late I will reserve judgement, also it was on its own and the books all suggest that they are to be found in groups. If you want to hear about my photographic exploits at the pond today click HERE

July 31st and some more photos of spiders. Also nature in close-up is not always as pleasant as we would like to think. The pond skater is eating it's prey. The garden spiders are dealing with their prey, if you click on the pictures you can view them more clearly, the more orange of the two spiders is actually drawing up it's web to wrap around it's prey.

There are also two further pictures of what I believe to be the mesh-web spider. In future all well-defined pictures will open if clicked on.

August 1st already! Last night we left the outside light on out at the back of the house and within an hour we had several visitors. The one on the left was a speckled bush-cricket, leptophyes punctatissima, click on picture for a better view. It's antennae are an amazing length but so were those of one of the moth visitors and I think it may be a long-horn moth but will seek clarification.

There were another 2 moths and a beetle which I have since discovered was a vine weevil otiorhynchus sulcatus. I will continue to research the moths.

Finally when I got up at about 7.00 a.m. I heard a strage sound, a load rasping croak and thought perhaps there was a strange bird out the back. Tracing the noise to the top of a leylandii tree at the end of our garden I saw indistinctly something at the top. Taking a photo using the greatest magnification I could I discovered it was a squirrel, presumably male, bellowing at the top of his lungs. The picture whilst poor quality gives an indication of the effort he was making. 

The afternoon was spent with plenty of photo opportunities at Mole Hall wildlife park and butterfly pavilion, complete with maize maze at this time of year - muddy underfoot but enjoyed by our granddaughter. 

And the end of the day is as remarkable as the beginning. Having left the outside light on again a moth which I had only read of this morning appears above our kitchen window. So out come the step ladders and I climb up to take a photo of the mother-of-pearl moth, pleuroptya ruralis.

Saturday and the end of a long and eventful week. Tired after having had our granddaughter for the last couple of days and as a result today's photos were not as exciting as I could have wished although I am always amazed that there is something to see. The spider I took a photo of on Thursday seems to have made an excellent job of packing his/her lunch. As I was taking this I noticed a small pale green caterpillar which I think may be that of an orange tip butterfly but most of the white butterflies seem to have green caterpillars so I cannot guarantee it. I thought his little face was quite cute. Finally the picture of the painted lady was taken using a new 1.7 zoom lense and I was delighted with the result as our buddlia bush is far too high for me to reach the butterflies which are there at the moment, even with the step ladder I used last night to capture the mother-of-pearl moth!!

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