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robyaxley.bsky.social
Naturalist: lichens, moths, beetles, bugs and anything else that catches my eye. “What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.”
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A neat little turf pond, made by winching a small alder tree out of the fen. These ponds are ace for inverts and early succession fen plants. A neat management solution at Scarning Fen.

Irreplaceable habitats are on the line. This is the reality if an unamended Part 3 of the Bill passes. It must not.

Promoting bad development by allowing the easy destruction of our last patches of nature is wrong. It is not necessary for dealing with the real need for housing and infrastructures.

Revealed: 5,000 English nature sites at risk under Labour’s planning proposals www.theguardian.com/environment/... This is what the Planning & Infrastructure will mean, if it becomes law. Every single SSSI in England will lose its protected status, as well as non-SSSI sites for protected species.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Crested Cow-wheat - annual pilgrimage. Nice to show this one to a few of my colleagues after a botanical training sesh.

Tillus elongatus, a nationally scarce beetle with a preference for old woodland, but in this instance found in a hedgerow oak.

Dark Mullein in South Creake churchyard. With added Mullein moth caterpillars. #wildflowerhour

A large area of Lecanora campestris parasitised by a fungus, which I think looks most like Vouauxiella verrucosa. #lichenGBI

Lobster, Ghost, Large Nutmeg and Foxglove Pug from a busy light trap last night.

Beautiful Golden Y was the visual pick of the moths this morning in the light trap.

Spindle Ermine moth cocoons under a Spindle bush completely stripped by the caterpillars. Slightly ghoulish.

Lecanora barkmaniana, Earsham, Norfolk, England. Nationally scarce; possibly just 3rd Norfolk record; but greatly under-recorded. Distinguished from very similar L compallens and L expallens by distinct yellow tint, K+ yellow and K/UV(dry)+ yellow (atranorin), and K/UV(wet)- (lack of xanthones).

A couple of smart longhorn beetles - the Spruce Shortwing Beetle (Molorchus minor) and the ever-spectacular Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn (Agapanthia villosoviridescens).

After sitting down on a sandy bank to rest after a survey yesterday, I saw these tiny lichen squamules on the ground next to me. Placidium squamulosum looks likely, only the second Norfolk locality for any species in this genus.

Magpie moth pupa in shady woodland yesterday with Norfolk Flora Group. Also the Plaited Door Snail Cochlodina laminata.

A very fine mature tulip tree was a feature of today’s site survey.

1,000 moth species in my tiny, un-special garden since Aug 2014! #TeamMoth milestone reached thanks to these three Tortricidae this month: 998: Endothenia marginana (Bordered Marble) 999: Pseudococcyx posticana (Dark Pine Shoot Moth) 1,000: Ancylis mitterbacheriana (Amber Hook-wing) #NorfolkMoths

Some green stuff from today’s excursion with Norfolk Flora Group. Soft Shield Fern, Sweet Woodruff and Thujopsis dolabrata (Japanese Hiba).

Some cool beetles from today - Hazel Leaf-roller, Rhagium mordax and Elaphrus cupreus.

My Leatherbug is more Denticulate than your Leatherbug.

The largest UK cranefly, Tipula maxima, was a nice surprise near the light trap this morning. I do enjoy a good cranefly.

Always a pleasure to come across a Golden-fringed Mason Bee (Osmia aurulenta) nest! This is one of 3 UK bee species to nest in empty snail shells. A female had just finished pasting leaf mastic over the entrance to the shell when I came across her yesterday at Porth Neigwl. #SolitaryBeeWeek

The cranefly Ptychoptera contaminata on an Iris petal. Spectacular size difference - female above, male below.

Gyalecta jenensis, on the shaded wooded limestone Quarries in the steep Scarp woodland of Stanley & Penn woods this weekend,lovely brown thallus and splendid abundant Orange Apothecia.

Is this your doing @comicterns.bsky.social ?

Brown argus and slow worm behaving nicely early on this morning. Pirri pirri bur not so welcome.

Marsh stitchwort at East Walton Common yesterday. #wildflowerhour

Vacancy | Assistant Warden, WWT Welney We are looking for a proactive individual with a passion for British wildlife to join the flock. The role is very varied including surveying, habitat management, livestock checks, guided walks Closing date: 30 May 2025 More info 👉 bit.ly/3F7DAdV

A patch of licheny material on a mossy brick wall in my garden looks to be Vezdaea leprosa, with tiny loosely organised apothecia and long squirly paraphyses. 1st occurrence in VC28.

Interesting link to article about different perceptions of lichen interactions with building stone

A very small patch of Opegrapha areniseda on Cromer church yesterday, and some very fancy flint knapping!

@suffolkseawatcher.bsky.social this is right up your ally! #Anas

Here’s that Puss Moth photo you wanted.

A few of the 35 cockchafers in the trap this morning. Absolute units.

Platrhinus resinosus, the Cramp-ball Fungus Weevil, must be having a population boom at the moment with Ash dieback creating lots of opportunity for its host fungus.

More Dryad’s Saddle, but this time accompanied by the beetles Diaperis boleti and Dacne bipustulata.

Marpissa muscosa is pretty big for a jumping spider. There were several individuals on this dead oak.

Out of Norfolk for a day or two, in the exotic surroundings of South Cambs. I came across this Ischnomera cyanea on a tree trunk, which is nice cuz there aren’t many records from Norfolk.