Paxton March Survey - Meadow Trail

Yesterday was our first wildlife survey of the year at Paxton Pits. This is traditionally our 'Signs of Spring' session though we do try to record whatever plants, insects, birds etc that we see. Here is my selection on a very unspring-like day, starting with a most endearing Nettle Weevil which I thought was just a bit of detritus on a nettle leaf. Amazing number of insects etc found considering the air temperature only averaged 5 degrees though there were periods of sunshine that warmed the leaf surfaces. Tentative ID sheets at the end as usual.

CNHS Granchester Meadows

 The Cambridge Natural History Society surveyed the plants etc in Grantchester Meadows in 2006 and 2016 so this year is time to repeat the survey. We met on Sunday afternoon at the Cambridge end. The first two meadows are known as the Lamppost Meadows as each has a lamp-post at its centre from 1920-1940 when the meadows used to be flooded with water pumped from the Cam and used for skating. There is an attendant’s hut at the corner of the first field, where the fee of six pence for an evening’s skating was collected. It is managed in a traditional manner - once the meadow has dried out there may be a summer hay cut and it is grazed until the end of the year.  No fertilizer or herbicide has been used. The public path alongside these meadows emerges into open meadows stretching to Grantchester, owned by King’s College. The CNHS group were identifying and recording all the plants species including grasses and sedges while I concentrated on the invertebrates, lichens, galls etc. Here a few plus possible IDs sheet. I was intrigued by the spore cups of he nettle Rust, Puccinia urticata, 

Unusually Warm Day Encourages Garden Minilife

Unusually warm today - 18degrees at midday with very little wind brought out  a lot of insects, spiders etc including this Beetle Larva, Harlequin ladybird and various other insects. Spiders were also on the move and I think the white 'mushrooms' are spiders egg sacs. Even a small Geometrid caterpillar feeding on the Knapweed.

 

Miscellany of Fungi from Brandon and Santon Downham

 On Saturday at Brandon, I used a UV light on a variety of toadstools and must research what causes the consistent different colours that are emitted under this light source. At Santon Downham was well as finding a wide range of new species, we tried using a smoke machine and a crystal ball with some of the toadstools growing on the abundant branches and in the pine cones. I photographed what I thought was a small beetle and it turned out to be a sheep tick while the white '?gall' from Saturday is a Sputnick Spider's egg sac. 

More Garden Minibeasts

Quite a few more sessions clearing the paths in the garden and recording any minibeasts taking shelter there. Not sure how many are new species for the list (IDs at end) but I haven't recorded the striking striped Hemipteran nymph (Nysius spp) before. Mainly small spiders but also one large beautifully marked snail.