A follow up afternoon in warm sunshine with a guest.

A Common Frog was in the beetle bank of the field N.of the Pine Belt.

At last the first Small Copper of the year was seen, in the field N.of Big Pool. Also seen were Large White, Small White and Speckled Wood.

A large German Wasp was basking on a Sycamore Leaf N.of Big Pool. On the Ivy on Novia Scotia Lane a Common Wasp was seen as well as Honeybees and just 3 Ivy Bees. Also here were the same hoverflies as yesterday.

In the beetle bank Common Millet and Long-headed Poppy were photographed.

A cracking afternoon on my Newchurch Patch, all around the Big Pool area. Sunny and warm.

Just four butterfly species, Small White, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood and 3 Commas.

A few odonata with 4 Migrant Hawkers, 2 Brown Hawkers including a female ovipositing, 3 Common Darters and 3 Common Blue Damselflies.

A Nettle Tap Moth was photographed.

A great find was Ivy Bee, a patch first and a species I had been looking for for ages. Both males and females were feeding on Ivy on Nova Scotia Lane near Dairy Farm. Also on the Ivy were at least 30 Tapered Droneflies, 5 Batman Hoverflies, 3 Syrphus hoverflies (probably S.ribesii) and over 20 Honey Bees. A Platycheirus albimanus (Whitefooted) Hoverfly was north of Big Pool.

It was a fungus fest too with lots of new species for patch and others just new for the year. Brand new were False Death Cap (Amanita citrina), Girdled Webcap (Cortinarius trivialis), Powderpuff Bracket (Postia pttchogaster), Blue Roundhead (Stropharia caerulea), Tuberous Polypore (Polyporus tuberasta), Inocybe flocculosa, and Wood Pinkgill (Enteloma rhodopolium) But I may have had the latter species before. New for the year were Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria), Inocybe geophylla, Frosty Bonnet (Mycena adscendens), Poison Pie (Hebeloma crustuliniforme) and Bolete Eater (Hypomyces chrysospermus).

On the Shemmy Moss section of my Newchurch Patch this morning, weak sunshine and mild temperatures.

There were 8 Common Lizards basking in 3 locations today, an excellent count for September.

Four butterflies of four species ; Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small White and Large White added to yesterdays haul!

A massive drop in dragonflies with the small drop in temperature, just 4 Common Darters, 5 Black Darters and a Brown Hawker.

A new bee species was added and one that fits the habitat, namely Heather Mining Bee, at least 6 of these were seen feeding on the heather! Also recorded again was Field Digger Wasp. A nice Sercomyia silentis hoverfly was photographed.

It was a field day for shieldbugs with 160 Dock Bugs recorded as well as 20 Green Shieldbugs and singles of Spiked Shieldbug and Bronze Shieldbug. The latter species was a first for this year and had impaled an Alder Leaf Beertle larva which it was feeding on.

Another 2 Awkward Cluster Flies were basking. New for patch were 120 Tipula confusa craneflies, one of the smaller species of cranefly.

At least 15 Bog Bush Crickets were seen with at least 2 stridulating on basking areas (pictured).

Two Garden Cross Spiders were seen.

On my Newchurch Patch pm, all on Shemmy Moss, very warm and sunny.

There were 3 Common Lizards basking and a Common Toad was also seen.

There were four butterflies of three species, 2 Red Admirals, a Speckled Wood and a Small White.

Even more impressive was a count of 91 dragonflies of 7 species! These were 2(1m) Common Hawkers, 2m Southern Hawkers, 2 Brown Hawkers, 5 Migrant Hawkers, 1m Ruddy Darter, 15 Black Darters (inc. 3 pairs in cop, 2 of which were ovipositing), and an amazing 64 Common Darters (inc 4 pairs ovipositing)!

Two moths were noted, a Silver Y and a Nettle Tap.

Lots of hoverflies were on the wing and those noted included Sericomyia silentis, Eristalis tenax (Common Dronefly) and Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade Hoverfly).

A final instar Green Shieldbug Nymph was seen as well as an Awkward Clusterfly.

Two Four-spotted Orb-weaver Spiders were on Shemmy Moss, their stronghold.

A new fungus, almost certainly Common Cavalier (Melanoleuca polioleuca) was seen, 2 fruiting bodies being on the edge of the mosses.

A very short trip onto Newchurch Common this afteroon. Dull, cool and windy - what a change!

A Migrant Hawker was flying on the main track between the two pools and 8 Ruddy Darters were on Gull Pool as well as a Brown Hawker.

A main reason for going on was to photograph the Hornet's nest which is still very active.

A new fungus for patch was found in Gull Pool Wood in the shape of Deer Shield (Pluteus cervinus) on an old fallen Silver Birch. Lots of Deceiver fungi are now out and a couple of Tawny Grisettes were found too, but far less than last time.

A few late records for my Newchurch Common Patch for 31st August 2024:

A late ID, due to it being a difficult species was a new moth for my patch, Blastobasis adustella (Common Masoner) near the main track between the pools. Also here was a Dingy Footman moth.

The plants Musk-Mallow (new for the year) and Tansy were in flower in the Big Pool SW Corner Glade.

Just a short sojurn onto my Newchurch Common Patch this afternoon. Fine and dry. All sightings on or just off the main track between the pools, unless stated.

Four butterfly species with a Holly Blue on ivy on Novia Scotia lane being the most noteworthy. Also seen 6 Speckled Woods, a Gatekeeper on Novia Scotia Lane and 3 Green-veined Whites.

Five species of odonata with a male Southern Hawker, 3 Migrant Hawkers, 8 Common Darters, a Red-eyed Damselfly (on Big Pool) and several Common Blue Damselflies.

A Hornet was in the Big Pool SW Corner Glade.

A new fungus for patch was Potato Earthball (Scleroderma bovista) found in woodland by the south shore of Big Pool.

Both am and pm on my Newchurch Common Patch, sunny and dry.

A Stoat was seen just off patch near Nunsmere.

An amazing 8 Common Lizards were basking in one small area on Shemmy Moss.

Odonata included 3(1m) Black Darters, 2 Migrant Hawkers (Shemmy Moss), a Common Darter, a Ruddy Darter (Gull Pool), Emerald Damselflies and Common Blue Damselflies.

The most significant moth find was a huge Elephant Hawkmoth Caterpillar. This was in it's final stage and looking to burrow underground to pupate. At least 3 Nettle Tap moths were seen.

Red Pea Galls were on small oaks by Shemmy Moss, seen for the first time ever these are the galls of the Red Pea Gall Wasp Cynips divisa. A Leafcutter Bee photographed on Shemmy Moss is likely to be Megachile versicolor. The Hornets nest is still active with over 100 Hornets seen. At least 10 Sericomyia silentis hoverflies were on Shemmy Moss. There were 6 Xylota segnis hoverflies on Big Pool Island Cut meadow.

Around 25 Dock Bugs were seen and 1 Hairy Shieldbug was photographed.

A Bog Bush Cricket showed well on Shemmy Moss.

A Four-spotted Orb-weaver was on Shemmy Moss.

A good fungus day with 25 Tawny Grisettes found, and 2 Blushers were in the same area of Gull Pool Wood. A cluster of 65 Glistening Inkcaps were also in Gull Pool Wood with around 8 Artist's Bracket fungi also here. Coral Brittlegill was in Gull Pool Wood. Variable Oysterling was near Big Pool Island Cut. Birch Woodwart was also in Gull Pool Wood.

Plants seen included Small Stinging Nettle (Urtica urens) in the former leek field and Crimson Clover in the Beetle Bank near the Pine Belt. Enchanters Nightshade was seen near the Pine Belt.

Morning on my Newchurch Patch in dull dry weather turning to drizzle later.

Not much in the way of butterflies or odonata.

A new micromoth for the patch ever was Acleris emargana near Big Pool, one I'd never seen before, and in the same area a new macromoth for patch in the shape of The Snout. A Straw Dot was also in the Big Pool Meadows.

The Hornets nest is still very active and Hornets were seen on Shemmy Moss and in the Big Pool Meadows. A Xylota segnis hoverfly was again photographed.

At least 3 Scorpionflies (Panorpa communis) were seen, possibly a new hatch. A Greenbottle Fly, probably Lucilia caesar was also near Big Pool.

Three fungi were photographed, the common Common Earthball, out in good numbers in Gull Pool Wood, Brown Mottlegill in Big Pool Island Cut Meadow and Pale Brittlestem in the wood near Big Pool island Cut.

On the Shemmy Moss section of my Newchurch Patch this morning. Dry and warm.

Just 2 butterflies. a Red Admiral and a Meadow Brown.

Better for odonata. For dragonflies a male Common Hawker (the heathland specialist) was seen plus a female Emperor,  Brown Hawker, 8 Black Darters with 2 pairs 'in cop' of which  was ovipositing and 11 Common Darters with 4 pairs 'in cop' of which all 4 were ovipositing. Just a Common Blue Damselfly was seen.

Two moth species were noted, the first was new for the year and a heath specialist micromoth species Phiaris schulziana also known as the Large Marble (pictured). This species was last noted in August 2020. A Silver Y was also seen.

There were 2 Hornets quartering the moss looking for prey. At least 3 male Ashy Mining Bees were seen. At least 18 Helophilus pendulus hoverflies were seen as well as 10 Sericomyia silentis.

A Green Tiger Beetle was still present as was a Bog Bush Cricket. Common Field Grasshopper was also seen whilst still searching, without luck, for Mottled Grasshopper.

A bob onto Newchurch Common and just non animal reports to be honest.

A group of 3 Field Mushrooms in the Big Pool North Meadow were the first of the year.

Water Mint was by Small Pool and Common Vetch subspecies segetalis was in the beetle bank near the Pine Belt.

A really short stroll on the Shemmy Moss part of my Newchurch Patch. Warm but overcast.

Just one highlight my first ever patch Volucella inanis Hornet/Wasp mimic Hoverfly. Other hoverflies recorded included Eupodes corollae and Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade Fly).

Andy I also live in Appleton, we have had a few bats over our garden (5 mins walk from Red Lane) that we noticed in the very early morning (4-5am)  but had also noticed the lack of them generally and much much scarcer than previous years when they were common. There were normally also some around the carpark of the Baptist Church when on an evening stroll but I haven't been there that much this summer so not noticed. There are definitely less wasps, bees, butterflies, moths around us too though, I hope it is an anomaly due to the weather this year and not the new trend :(

Short afternoon stroll on Newchurch Common around the Big Pool Meadows.

Nowt spectacular re butterflies.

A nice Southern Hawker and 2 Migrant Hawkers as well as 4 Brown Hawkers. Common Darter, Black Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Red-eyed Damselfly seen too.

A new moth species was added to the patch list, Agriphila tristella the Common Grass-moth. Also seen were 2 Straw Dots.

A least 4 Xylota segnis hoverflies were seen.

A Green Shieldbug and a Dock Bug were seen.

A large male Garden Cross Spider was photographed.

The fungal gall Taphrina tosquinetii was on alder and recorded for the first time.

Sheep's Sorrel was in flower in the North Meadow.

Warrington South: neither ourselves or a few neighbours have seen any bats around here this year (bottom end Stockton Heath / Bridgewater Canal / Appleton up to the Reservoir). Used to get regular bats. Not even had wasps this year or the regular bees.

Two walks on Shemmy Moss, Newchurch Common Patch, today. Sunny and hot.

Lots of odonata (11 species) with a male Emperor, 3(2m) Common Hawkers including an ovipositing female, 2 Migrant Hawkers, a Southern Hawker, 12 Brown Hawkers, a female Black-tailed Skimmer, 10 Black Darters, 8 Common Darters, 2 Ruddy Darters, Emerald Damselflies and Common Blue Damselflies.

A Hornet was seen to take a Honey Bee and decapitate it before eating it!

A new beetle species - Heather Beetle - was found.

A new lacewing - Pearly Green Lacewing - was also found.

A Common Field Grasshopper was again photographed.

A shortish morning walk on the Shemmy Moss part of my Newchurch Patch. Bright and warm. Nice to bump into Dave, a member of these forums, and to have a chat.

There were 3 Common Lizards basking together, nice to see. Also a few small Common Frogs and Common Toads.

Just a few odonata seen, a Common Hawker, 4 Brown Hawkers, a Migrant Hawker, a Common Darter and 6 Black Darters.

For moths a Dingy Footman was seen as well as a Common Carpet.

A large number of the hoverfly Helophilus pendulus were seen as well as several Sericomyia silentis.

A new species ever on patch was a scentless plant bug (related to shield bugs) Rhopalus subrufus, one of only 4 species in this family in the UK. A Dock Bug was also seen.

A Common Horsefly was again photographed after she tried her luck with me, after my blood but I caught her before she managed it!

Again Bog Bush Cricket was seen.

On Newchurch am, dull but warm.

One very notable sighting was a Black Darter on Big Pool East Meadow, not exactly usual habitat but obviously expanding their range from the mosslands. I first noticed them in the meadows just last year. A Migrant Hawker was seen over the meadows too.

An afternoon on my Newchurch Patch on Shemmy Moss. Warm and dry.

Quite quiet with the odonata highlight being a male Common Hawker again. There were only c.7 Black Darters, maybe the Hobby I saw had taken lots!

A Beautiful Yellow Underwing moth was photographed, and I got my best ever pictures of this flighty species.

A Common Field Grasshopper was new for the year and Common Green Grasshopper and Bog Bush Crickets were seen again.

A dead Hedgehog was on Daleford Lane, not sure if I've ever recorded a roadkill on here before.

Yesterday (and they will still be there today!) a shoal of young Perch were seen in Big Pool.

A Purple Hairstreak was the pick of a meagre number of butterflies (the beetle bank wasn't checked today).

In contrast a fantastic 15 species of odonata recorded including two new for the year and one patch rarity! The first new for year species was a male Migrant Hawker, seen on the south side of Shemmy Moss. Next, again on Shemmy Moss, was a male Common Hawker over the pools out in the middle of the moss, a species I usually only get one or two of per year here so nice to see. A male Southern Hawker was seen along the track between the two pools but never landed so I didn't get pictures! A male Emperor was seen over Gull Pool and a lone Brown Hawker was on the edge of Shemmy Moss whilst out on Shemmy Moss 2 Four-spotted Chasers looked very tatty. A total of 3 Common Darters were seen, 2 in cop on Small Pool and 1 on Shemmy Moss. As usual double-figure numbers of Black Darters were on Shemmy Moss but no count was made today.The patch rarity was a male Banded Demoiselle, the third record of the species this year which is the most ever seen in a single season here. An old looking Large Red Damselfly was in Gull Pool Wood where there were lots of Emerald Damselflies. The 'blue' damsels, Common Blue, Azure, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed were all seen as usual, all of the last species on Small Pool as Big Pool wasn't visited today.

Also seen today were an Ornate Tailed Digger Wasp, on Shemmy Moss and at least 5 Bog Bush Crickets on Shemmy Moss as usual. At least 20 Hornets were in Gull Pool Wood and their nest was still active. A Common Froghopper was near Small Pool.

A Blusher fungus was in Gull Pool Wood but was very 'slug-eaten'!

Wild Camomile was recorded as last month, on Newchurch Common near the Pine Belt.

Newchurch pm, hot & sunny and v.little of note, just firsts for August!

Seven butterfly species but the only things of note were 50 Large Whites, mainly in the beetle bank and 10 Small Whites.

There were 9 Silver Y moths, 5 Shaded Broad-bars, 2 Common Carpets and a Six-spot Burnet.

A short morning visit to Newchurch Common, around Big Pool. Sunny and warming up but not sweltering yet by midday!

Ten species of butterfly with the highlights being 2 Essex Skippers in Big Pool North Meadow and a Purple Hairstreak in  a new oak for this species, halfway down the main track to the north of the former leek field.

A Blacklet Hoverfly species, Cheilosia albitarsus/ranunculi was near Beach Peg. A Thick-headed Fly species Conops quadrifasciatus was also in the same area behind Beach Peg. A Sawfly species Tenthredo notha/acuata was in the North Meadow.

Tansy was in flower in the Big Pool SW Corner Glade and was recorded for the first time this year.

An afternoon on Shemmy Moss, hot & sunny.

Not a lot as it was a short visit. At least 8 Bog Bush Crickets as in most visits. Another Red-sided Eriothrix Tachinid Fly.

I did add a very rare plant, the acid bog specialist White Beak-sedge which was plentiful on the Schwingmoor on Shemmy Moss.

All day on my Newchurch Common Patch, hot & sunny.

A Common Lizard was seen again.

Plenty of butterflies, both in numbers of species and individual numbers.... at last! Ten species wee seen : Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Comma, Peacock and Red Admiral. Numbers of note were 12 Peacocks in total including 10 in the 'Beetle Bank' planting north of the Pine Belt, and c.35 Large Whites and c.40 Small Whites in a total of 75+ whites using the same 'Beetle Bank'.

Odonata seen were Southern Hawker near the car parking area, 5 Brown Hawkers, male Emperor on Shemmy Moss, a Common Darter, 10 Black Darters, Common Blue Damselflies, Azure Damselflies, Red-eyed Damselflies, Blue-tailed Damselflies and Emerald Damselflies.

A Riband Wave moth was on Shemmy Moss and was a new species, 3 Silver Y moths were also here.

A Red-sided Eriothrix Tachinid Fly was a new species ever on Patch, on Shemmy Moss. Black Garden Ants (Lasius nigra) were seen emerging from underground nests with winged males.

A morning visit to Newchurch Common, sunny intervals, warm but mainly cloudy, even a shower briefly!! All in Big Pool Meadows.

A reasonable variety of butterflies and an increase in numbers. These ten species were 15 Meadow Browns, 9 Gatekeepers, 6 Speckled Woods, Ringlets, Small White, Large White, a Small Skipper, a Peacock a Small Tortoiseshell and 5 newly emerged Commas.

Not as good for odonata with 2 Brown Hawkers the only dragonflies and just 3 of the common damselfly species.

There were c.25 Straw Grass-veneer moths (Agriphila straminella), a new ID for patch. Also seen were 3 Silver Y, a 7-Spot Burnet, and a Common Carpet.

An Eristalis arbustorum hoverfly was photographed as well as a Syrphus ribesii and a Xanthogramma pedissequum.

At least 3 Common Green Grasshoppers, a Meadow Grasshopper and 5 Roesel's Bush Crickets were seen.

A Meligethes Pollen Beetle species, only 3mm long was seen on a poppy flower in a beetle bank near the Pine Belt. A Hairy Shieldbug was seen after a long absence for this species this year.

A Copse Snail was on a Sycamore by the North Meadow.

I had a quick explore of the beetle bank that the farmer has planted near the Pine Belt and it was full of pollinators. Plants in it included Field Pansy, Common Field-speedwell, Long-headed Poppy and a Phacelia species, the latter being a well known 'green fertiliser' when ploughed in.

Newchurch afternoon, all on Shemmy Moss, dull, cloudy but mild.

A nice trio of reptiles / amphibians with 2 Common Lizards, Common Frogs and Common Toads seen.

Around 10 Black Darters were the best odonata.

I finally managed a decent picture of the micromoth Eupoecilia angustana. A Silver Y was seen again.

A Heather Shieldbug nymph was found which was the first ever for me on Patch, NBN has a record here for 1991!

Totals of 6 Bog Bush Crickets and 12 Common Groundhoppers were seen.

The cranefly Nephrotoma scurra was seen, this was seen in previous months but not photographed as well as it was today!

Creeping Cinquefoil was confirmed as previous photographs had been inconclusive

Another Newchurch morning, but the forecast was not spot on. No sun and even 2 rain showers!

A Smooth Newt, a Common Frog and a Common Toad were in Gull Pool Wood.

A total of 25 Hornets were seen, 10 at the sap exuding tree and 15 at their nest which I discovered the location of today. Really nice to know where it is and  an eye on it.

Beetles were much in evidence, all in Gull Pool Wood and all under logs, with the only new one being Pterostichus diligens. Also seen were 2 Carabus problematicus, Pterostichus niger, Abax parallelepipidus, and Devil's Coach Horse. Also 2 Black-headed Cardinal Beetle larvae were found.

Also seen were Common Shiny Woodlouse and the slug Arion rufus.

The first Tawny Grisette mushroom was found as well as the first newly grown Common Earthball.

Lots of plants were recorded seeing as it was raining! On Small Pool swathes of the 'invasive' Fringed Water Lily were in flower. Also here was Amphibious Bistort. Guelder Rose had berries starting to turn red by Small Pool. Evening Primrose was seen nearby. Two semi-invasive species were in the Big Pool SW corner glade, Tree of Heaven and Garden Lady's Mantle. Also in the glade was the plant Redshank. Along the main track lots of Common Burdock plants were seen.

On Newchurch Common, Big Pool Meadows, hot & sunny.

Butterfly species seen were a pristine Peacock, Ringlets, 15 Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, Speckled Woods, 1 Large Skipper, 3 Essex Skippers, 6 Small Skippers, Large White, Green-veined White and around 25 Small Whites over the 'beetle bank' at the edge of the field NE of the Pine Belt.

Odonata seen were 11 Brown Hawkers, 2 Common Darters, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly and Red-eyed Damselfly (in tandem).

A new moth for patch ever was a Smoky Wainscot in the North Meadow. Also seen were a Silver Y, a Six-spot Burnet and 4 Shaded Broad-bars. An estimated count gave 650 Cinnabar caterpillars in the meadows.

A 14-spot Ladybird was photographed. A Meadow Grasshopper was new for the year on patch.

A brilliant morning with fellow all-round naturalists Fungalpunk Dave & Gill on Shemmy Moss, Newchurch Patch today. With them bringing sweep nets an extra dimension was added to the walk, sweeping the low vegetation for 'tiny things'!!!

A couple of Common Lizards were again seen, and the usual odonata and a few butterflies were seen too, but nothing new of note on this search for smaller fauna.

Notable moths were recorded including my first ever Narrow-winged Pug and the first Mother-of-Pearl of the year for patch. The years' first Dingy Footman was also found. A looper caterpillar that was probably a Light Emerald moth larva was found, but was a hard ID. Another Beautiful Yellow Underwing caterpillar was found. A Silver Y was seen again.

An Ichneumon Wasp was IDed as Hepiopelmus melanogaster, but confirmation is being sought as it quite rare in the UK. Spangle Gall Wasp Galls were on oak leaves and Artichoke Galls (another wasp) were on oaks too.

A Nedyus quadrimaculata weevil was on nettles. An interesting Leaf Bug was Populicerus populi. A Spiked Shieldbug nymph and adult were found. A Dock Bug nymph was netted. New for the year was Bishop's Mitre Shieldbug. The Mirid bugs Stenotus binotatus and Grypocoris stysi were found. A Tree Damsel Bug was new for the year too.

Over 20 Bog Bush Crickets were seen as well as 2 Common Groundhoppers.

Several Linnaemya vulpina tachinid flies were still flying. A Tipula lateralis Cranefly was netted. The small black fly Lauxania cylindricornis was found and photographed. Several Midge Galls were noted, Little Black Pudding Gall on bracken, Jaapiella veronicae galls on Germander Speedwell, Trioza remota galls on oak and Dasineura urticae galls on Nettles.

Spiders found included at least 4 Four-spotted Orb-Weavers and 2 Evarcha falcata Jumping Spiders.

A Russet Toughshank fungus was found as well as a Mycena sanguinolenta, the Bleeding Bonnet.

Enchanter's Nightshade and Dove's-foot Crane's-bill were noted. Colarado Spruce had cones at the edge of the moss, aiding ID.

All day on Newchurch, the main trip am but briefly pm too, hot & sunny.

In Gull Pool Wood 2 Smooth Newts were seen and 5 Common Toadlets were on Shemmy Moss.

A shoal of young Perch were in the shallows of Big Pool.

Plenty of butterfly species but still low numbers. Seen were Comma, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper and a very worn Large Skipper. Twelve species makes it the best day for species for the year.

Similarly odonata variety was good with 6 Brown Hawkers, Southern Hawker, Emperor, Four-spotted Chaser, Black Darter, Common Darter, male Banded Demoiselle (patch mega!), Red-eyed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly and Emerald Damselfy. Twelve species too, again the best day for species of these!

A few moths too, 2 Six-spot Burnets, a Black-neck Moth, my first Udea lutealis (in Big Pool Meadow), 2 Shaded Broad-bars and 3 Common Heaths.

At least 6 Hornets were on my Hornt tree in Gull Pool Wood still! On Shemmy Moss a new Lacewing species Chrysopa perla.

Common Centaury and Purple Loosestrife were recorded near Big Pool.

A morning trip on Newchurch Common with wildlifing mate Paul Hill. Sunny intervals and warm.

A dead Common Shrew was on the patch by Shemmy Moss.

A nice Southern Hawker Dragonfly was on the track between the two main Pools. On Shemmy Moss only about 20 Black Darters today, male Emperor, 2 Four-spotted Chasers, 6 Emerald Damselflies, 4 Blue-tailed Damselflies, 4 Common Blue Damselflies and an Azure Damselfly.

Some good moths, all micromoths and all on Shemmy Moss and the first three being heathland specialists, were seen. A Cheshire rarity Aristotelia ericinella was new, but repeats included another Neofaculta ericetella, another Eupoecilia angustana and another 2 Diamond-backed Moths. A cracking Beautiful Yellow Underwing caterpillar was found.

A Spider Hunting Wasp, probably Auplopus carbonaria was on Shemmy Moss.

Again lots, probably 20 Bog Bush Crickets on Shemmy Moss plus 3 Common Groundhoppers.

A Common Horsefly Haematopota pluvialis was on Shemmy Moss and swatted by Paul as it bit him. We examined it as dead, looking at antennae for firm ID and handling it for ages with it looking lifeless. I potted it up to take home to photograph only to find it buzzing around the pot an hour later!! They are impossible to kill it seems

An afternoon on my Newchurch Patch and all on Shemmy Moss again, hot and sunny today so the inverts were supercharged!!

A single Common Lizard was seen basking. A Great Crested Newt was a surprise as I was moving logs during some management work. At least 20 Common Froglets and a Common Toadlet were seen.

Butterflies seen were Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small White and Green-veined White.

A good odonata day with 63 Black Darters, 2 Ruddy Darters, a Common Darter, a male Emperor, a Four-spotted Chaser, 10 Emerald Damselflies (inc 1 pair in tandem), 8 Azure Damselflies, 6 Common Blue Damslflies (inc 2 pairs in tandem), and 2 Blue-tailed Damselflies.

The only moth of note was a Silver Y.

There were hundreds of Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) most of them mating or looking for a mate! An Abax parallelepipedus carabid beetle was under a log. A Gorse Shielbug nymph was found, on gorse of course!

An adult Common Green Grasshopper was seen as well as 2 Bog Bush Crickets and 5 Common Groundhoppers.

Two Cheshire Horseflies were seen, the mega rare patch speciality! The cranefly Tipula oleracea was added to the list. A Yellow Dungfly was photographed.

A big surprise was a Shaggy Inkcap fungus.

On Shemmy Moss (Newchurch Common Patch) again very briefly pm, very overcast but warm.

A Common Lizard was seen basking as well as 4 Common Froglets and 1 Common Toadlet.

Even though it was dull I still counted 22 Black Darters but even better I saw my first (male) Ruddy Darter of the season here. Also seen were 10 Emerald Damselflies and an Azure Damselfly.

A new micromoth was added to the overall patch list and was a lifer for me, Neofaculta ericetella, a heathland specialist whose larvae feed on heather. It is common but hard to ID as it is tiny, zips about and is very nonedescript. Also seen were 7 Pearl-banded Grass Veneers.

At least 3 Bog Bush Crickets were seen.

A Newchurch Common Patch visit this morning, all on Shemmy Moss, warm & sunny.

Another 2 Common Lizards were seen.

Around 30 Black Darters were again seen including one pair ovipositing.There were 2 Four-spotted Chasers on the Shemmy Moss Pools and 8 Common Emerald Damselflies mainly over the heather with two in tandem over a pool.

A Silver Y Moth was seen.

A female Melanostoma scalare hoverfly was seen, most previous sightings having been males. Around 4 Sericomyia silentis and 3 Helophilus pendulus were noted. 6 more Linnaemya vulpina tachinid flies were seen. A Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga sp. ) was photographed.

A Green Tiger Beetle was seen after a few visits without one!

At least 5 Bog Bush Crickets were seen. A new species for the year was Alder Spittlebug (Aphrophora alni).

A Newchurch Common Patch visit this morning, all on Shemmy Moss, warm & sunny.

Another 2 Common Lizards were seen.

Around 30 Black Darters were again seen including one pair ovipositing.There were 2 Four-spotted Chasers on the Shemmy Moss Pools and 8 Common Emerald Damselflies mainly over the heather with two in tandem over a pool.

A female Melanostoma scalare hoverfly was seen, most previous sightings having been males. Around 4 Sericomyia silentis and 3 Helophilus pendulus were noted. 6 more Linnaemya vulpina tachinid flies were seen. A Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga sp. ) was photographed.

A Green Tiger Beetle was seen after a few visits without one!

At least 5 Bog Bush Crickets were seen. A new species for the year was Alder Spittlebug (Aphrophora alni).

On Newchurch Common Psatch pm, Shemmy Moss all the time, dull but mild.

A Common Lizard was again seen basking. There were 3 Common Froglets on the mosses too.

Again there were c.30 Black Darters and 5 Common Emerald Damselflies seen.

A new moth for patch was another heather specialist, the Cheshire scarcity micro-moth Dark-barred Straw (Eupoecilia angustana). A big influx of a migrant micromoth gave a count of 20 Diamond-back Moths. Another new moth for the year was The Chevron, another scarce local moth. Again there were at least 3 Pearl-banded Grass Veneer moths.

A new Shieldbug species was added to the overall patch list with a Blue Shieldbug nymph found and photographed. A Common Froghopper was also seen.

Again 2 Red-banded Sand Wasps were around their nesting area. Hoverflies included 2 Sericomyia silentis and a Marmlade Fly. 4 Tachinid Linnaemya vulpina were seen. A new cranefly species Prionocera turcica was on the moss too.

At least 12 Bog Bush Crickets were noted.

An unidentified yellow Slime Mould species was seen around the stem of a heather shoot.

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 14th of July 2024 11:28:39 PM

Down for a morning visit on Newchurch Common, dull, cooler and a bit of rain at end!

4 Common Lizards were seen on Shemmy Moss, 3 of which were basking to try to get some heat!

No new butterflies. At least 20 Black Darters and 3 Emerald Damselflies.

A new moth was added for the pacth list, Pearl-banded Grass Veneer Catoptria margartella.

An Oak Marble Gall Wasp Gall was photographed on an oak.

A Marmalade Hoverfly was photographed and lots of Common Droneflies and Tapered Droneflies were seen. A less than common Tachinid Fly Linnaemya vulpina was seen as well as the common cranefly Tipula oleracea.

A Green Shieldbug nymph was found.

A tiny young Four-spotted Orb-weaver Spider was the first of the year.

A morning visit to my patch, all on Shemmy Moss today. Dull, no sun but not cold, surprisingly good for invertebrates.

Had a pregnant female Common Lizard, not basking just moving through dead bracken but looking huge near the rear end. Also rescued 4 Common Toadlets crossing the Abbot's Moss Nursery road.

A few butterflies were seen, my first mosslands Gatekeeper and Small Skipper, also Ringlet, Meadow Brown and Green-veined White.

There were at least 20 Black Darters including Black males, a male Emperor and a female Common Darter seen. Also seen were 6 Emerald Damselflies, an Azure Damselfly, a Blue-tailed Damselfly and several Common Blue Damselflies.

Just 2 Common Heath moths and around 5 Crambus pascuella Inlaid Grass Veneers were found, both seen previously.

The biggest find was a nationally very rare fly - Cheshire Horsefly (Atylotus plebeius) (pictured), found now in the UK at only 2 known locations and a specialist on quaking bogs (which Shemmy Moss is). This is a threatened species and not seen very often at all, a really good find. The ID has been verified by UK Diptera but I was confident in my ID which I put forward to them. Amazing!!

A new species was a tiny bee Colletes daviesanus, that I've never seen before.

Also seen were 4 Bog Bush Crickets, a Sericomyia silentis hoverfly, and the hoverfly Eristalis nemorum.

The first decent pictures were taken of the ants under refugia on Shemmy Moss and these lead me to believe that the species is Formica lemani.

A surprise find was Coral Brittlegill fungus.

Another sunny afternoon on Newchurch Common, all in Big Pool Meadows.

An amazing butterfly day with 11 species seen, by far the best day for them this year!! The best in show award goes to my first male Essex Skipper, followed closely by the first 3 Gatekeepers, both for the year, not ever! Also seen again was a Purple Hairstreak in the same oak canopy as on the 5th. Other species seen were Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown, 16 Ringlets (inc a mating pair), Speckled Wood, Large White, Green-veined White and Red Admiral.

Odonata were less well represented with 4 Brown Hawkers, Common Blue Damselflies and Blue-tailed Damselflies the only species seen.

A Six-spot Burnet Moth and a Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet were both seen.

A Welsh Chafer Beetle was new for the year. The Roesel's Bush Crickets are getting bigger so I took another picture!

A Nursery Web Spider was photographed and several more seen.

A new group of 6 Common Spotted Orchids was found in North Meadow.

Seal in the Mersey , bang centre of the river in the town centre , spoted from car nr the cenotaph 

To Newchurch Patch this afternoon mainly on Shemmy Moss. Warm & Sunny.

One sighting away from the mosses was my first Purple Hairstreak of the year in an oak canopy near the main track at the west end of Small Pool, a traditional tree. On Shemmy Moss there were 2 Green-veined Whites, a Large White, a Red Admiral, Ringlets and Meadow Browns including a mating pair.

On Shemmy Moss a new dragonfly for me was a female-type Black-tailed Skimmer. Also on Shemmy Moss were at least 30 Black Darters including black males now, as well as a fully blue male Broad-bodied Chaser, my first here this year. Two Brown Hawkers completed the dragonfly sightings. A count of 8 Emerald Damselflies on Shemmy Moss included males and females and there were Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies here too.

One very notable moth record was a single Four-dotted Footman on Shemmy Moss, one of the lowland heath specialities that I record here.

A new hoverfly for me was Xylota sylvarum, on the edge of Shemmy Moss. Two Red-banded Sand Wasps (Ammophila sabulosa)were watched digging out a burrow and then bringing a paralysed caterpillar to it which one of them dragged into the burrow backwards!! The female will lay her egg in the caterpillar and the hole will be sealed and camouflaged!

The plants Nipplewort and Common Bird's Foot Trefoil were photographed on Shemmy Moss.

Popped down to Newchurch Common this morning with hopes of OK weather and even got a bit of sun, turned v.warm for a while too, then rained!

The usual six species of butterfly, and seven species if you count the 8 Peacock Caterpillars on nettles in Island Cut Meadow. The usual odonata too.

A Yellow Shell moth was near Beach Peg and in total 3 Silver Y moths were seen.

A new species, near North Meadow, was the striking Tachinid Fly Dexiosoma caninum, which is relatively scarce in Cheshire. Another Ferruginous Bee Grabber was photographed in Island Cut Meadow.

Dotted Loosestrife was in flower on the north shore of Big Pool.

My first trip onto my Newchurch Patch for a while this afternoon. Sunny mainly and actually q.warm.

Another six-species day for butterflies, exactly the same ones as the last 'six' day!!

The area close to Big Pool Island Cut held 2 Common Toadlets, they were deep in vegetation 'litter' so probably lots lots more here, the pool here had the huge amount of toadspawn earlier in the year, so not a surprise.

An excellent odonata day with my first Southern Hawker and my first Common Darter of the year for patch both in Big Pool Island Cut Meadow. As well as there I had 4 Brown Hawkers and a worn male Emperor. The only damselflies were c.150 Common Blu Damselflies and 15 Blue-tailed Damselflies.

A Silver-Y Moth was in Island Cut Meadow and 2 Shaded Broad-bars were in the North Meadows. A Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet was seen, the edges of the wings definitely showing a narrower black border than last weeks moth!

A new Tachinid fly was photographed, a Thelaira nigripes, in Island Cut Meadow.

In the North Meadows I had 20 Roesel's Bush Cricket nymphs and 2 Common Green Grasshopper nymphs. Also in he North Meadows was a new species for Patch, a Meadow Plant Bug (Leptopterna dolbrata). A Green Shield Bug was in Island Cut Meadow.

Lots of Spear Thistles were in flower by the main track, a great nectar source.