On my Newchurch Patch am, dull and cooler.

Just one sighting of note, 16 Spotted Toughshanks in Gull Pool Wood, a new patch of them not seen before. They were under a large pine which is their preference.

Morning on the mossland part of my Newchurch Patch with cloud, tiny bit of drizzle and no sun!

Still added a new moth despite the weather, a Snout, on the northern edge of Shemmy Moss.

The first Spiked Shieldbug (Picromerus bidens) of the year was on the south side of Shemmy and nearby a Dock Bug nymph was seen.

A Tachina fera fly was the first here but not a patch first this year. A fly that was new, a lifer for patch in fact, was Red-thighed St Mark's Fly (Bibio pomonae), but the one found was barely alive, possible dropped by a bird!

Several Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) plants are now in flower here.

Again am and pm on my Newchurch Common Patch.

A Common Lizard was on Shemmy Moss.

The usual array of butterflies and odonata. A couple of nice moths on Shemmy Moss in Beautiful Plume and Rush Veneer, although both had been recorded here previously.  

Large Rose Sawfly (Arge pagana) was possibly new for the year, seen in Big Pool island cut. A Field Digger Wasp was on Shemmy Moss again.

Around 4 Tachina Fera were in Big Pool island cut meadow.

A really nice find was a 5cm long Great Pond Snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) in Small Pool, a lifer here.

A Pale Brittlestem (Psathyrella candolleana) fungus was the biggest I have found yet, in Big Pool island cut.

The plant Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) was new for the year and 4 plants were in flower in the Big Pool SW glade.

No patch visits to Newchurch today but as I use these forums to write the annual report I have found some missing records, as follows:

16th July: Shemmy Moss - around 30 galls on bracken, made by the fly Chirosia grossicauda. A queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee.

24th July: Big Pool - 6 flowering Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea) plants.

WeBS day on Newchurch Common so little time to do other wildlife. But a couple of bits.

A newly emerged Brimstone flew past me north of Big Pool.

A Southern Hawker and a Migrant Hawker were over Small Pool.

A Bloody Brittlegill (Russula sanguinaria) was new for the year, by the path through the pines west of Small Pool but 5 Powdery Brittlegills there were in the area that I saw others of this species recently.

Morning on the mosses part of my Newchurch Patch, sunny and warm.

A Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella) migrant moth was a good find, the first of the year on ptach, although I have had 2 in my moth trap at home recently.

An excellent find was 2 Red-thighed Epeolus bees (Epeolus cruciger) a parasitic Cuckoo Bee of Heather Colletes bees, of which I'm seeing lots of on every walk on the mosses. These were seen checking out a sandy area with burrow holes on it, some of which may have been Heather Colletes nest holes, and were a patch first ever!

A Patch lifer fungus was an Ugly Milkcap (Lactarius necator) in a silver birch dominated area, and which was slimy, dark green and really lived up to its name! A small group of 3 Bog Bell fungi were on the edge of Shemmy Moss, a repeat find of a common fungus for this habitat.

A morning walk on Shemmy Moss, Newchurch Patch to release a moth potted up yesterday. Fine at first, then torrential showers!

A Common Lizard was basking when the sun shone. A Great Crested Newt was under a log.

A Brown Hawker posed beautifully for photos. Several butterfly and odonata species but nothing noteworthy.

The micromoth Celypha lacunana (also called the Common Marble) was seen.

A Common Ground-hopper was photographed again as was a Bog Bush Cricket.

Common Field Speedwell (Veronica persica) was in flower and possibly recorded for the first time this year.

An afternoon in the pools area of Newchurch, fine with a wee bit of sun but cooler than of late.

There was a Holly Blue over the Rosebay Willowherb in the east meadows, the best of the butterflies.

The best odonata were 3 male Ruddy Darters, a male Common Darter and 5 Brown Hawkers.

A Square-spot Rustic moth in the east meadows was possibly my first ever here. An Udea lutealis micromoth was photographed again.

A Sericomyia silentis hoverfly was the first away from the mosses.

The cranefly Nephrotoma scurra was the first record this year.

A White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis) was photographed.

Two Red-cracking Boletes were in the north meadow and one had the Bolete Eater fungus (Hypomyces chrysospermus) infecting it.

Morning and afternoon on Newchurch Patch, both on the mosslands. Sunny intervals and warm.

A large female Grass Snake and 2 Common Lizards were seen today.

Best butterflies were a female Common Blue and a pristine Painted Lady.

Around 40 Black Darters were seen again as well as 2 Migrant Hawkers and 3 Ruddy Darters.

A Chevron moth was new for the year.

A new bee species was added today, 2 Heather Mining Bees (Andrena fuscipes) also another 12 Heather Colletes bees were seen on Shemmy Moss. A Hornet was also quartering the heather on the edge of Shemmy Moss near the nursery entrance roa.

Around 4 Sericomyia silentis hoverflies were recorded, as well as 1 Eristalis intricaria.

Just 2 Bog Bush Crickets seen today.

A morning walk on Newchurch Common around Big Pool again. Dry and very overcast, mild.

Invertebrates were few and far between but a nice Nursery Web Spider was in Big Pool Island Cut. A new harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis was in the Pine Belt.

The main thrust of today was to look for fungi and it was a successful search indeed with five new species for the year of which two were new ever here! A cracking find was a group of around 4 Blushing Rosettes (Abortiporus biennis) near Beach Peg, an interesting fungus that 'bleeds' red liquid and was a first ever on patch. A first for the year was a Brown Roll-rim (Paxillus involutus) in the same area as well as 6 Red Cracking Boletes (Xerocomellus chrysenteron) nearby, again new for 2025. Another new species in the same area, which was always a good place for fungi, was my first ever 20 Milky Bonnets (Hemimycena lactea), a tiny fungus in the leaf litter. Another species seen here, which after checking was also new this year on patch was 4 Leopard Earthballs (Scleroderma areolatum). Around 40 Pale Brittlestems were seen, a species recorded recently on nearly every walk and seen all over patch. A Russet Toughshank was a repeat sighting for the year, in Big Pool Island Cut.

The plant Redshank (30) (Persicaria maculosa) was recorded possibly for the first time this year, in Big Pool Island Cut.

An afternoon Newchurch Common Walk in warm sunshine.

A Small Copper in Big Pool east meadows was the best species of butterfly. Another excellent sighting was at least 25 Large Whites and 20 Small Whites in a new area of 'beetle bank' on the Common Farm loop. More Speckled Woods (8) today than any other walk this summer.

A good odonata day with the first 2 Migrant Hawkers of the year, both over the same 'beetle bank' strip on the Common Farm loop, one obligingly landing for pictures. Also here was a female Black Darter, another away from the core population on the mosslands. A male Ruddy Darter was in Big Pool Island Cut meadow. Also seen were at last 6 Brown Hawkers on the whole walk and a Common Darter. Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed Damselflies were also seen.

A Red Bug (Deraeocoris ruber) was by the track near Big Pool SW Corner Glade and was a totally new species for patch. A burying beetle that flew and landed in a gorse remained unidentified due to it being totally covered with Poecilochirus mite deutonymphs, it was totally covered so that not even the colour of the beetle could be seen! Needless to say the mites were recorded as new for patch! Another new mite record was from galls on a Damson tree leaf, made by the mite Eriophyes similis.

A small group of 6 Lung (also called Pale) Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus pulmonarius) were in the edge of the woods on the east side of Small Pool.

Single Wild Plum (Prunus domestica) and Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera)  trees were covered in fruit as well as many Damson (Prunus domestica subsp insititia) and Sloe/ Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) trees too.

A morning on the mosslands part of my Newchurch Patch, sunny and hot again.

A small (prob male) Grass Snake and 3 Common Lizards were seen today.

Several butterflies and odonata were on the wing. The stand out sighting were 2 male Common Hawkers over one of the pools on Shemmy Moss, the first of the year. These were chasing and whizzing around constantly but did come close at times. Five other species of dragonfly were seen, namely 3m Emperors, 2 Four-spotted Chasers, a Brown Hawker, 3 Common Darters and 40 Black Darters, 2 pairs of which were in cop and ovipositing.

A large wasp on the edge of the moss proved to be my first ever Median Wasp (Dolichovespula media) on the patch. This species is a relatively recent UK colonist and is almost as big as our native Hornet, the queens often being mistaken for Hornets by experienced naturalists.

A Sericomyia silentis hoverfly was a first of the ear. also seen were Melanostoma mellinum and Platycheirus albimanus hoverflies, both not new for 2025... I think!

A Green Tiger Beetle was still at large amongst the heather. Again 4 Green Leaf-hoppers were seen near the edges of the pools.

New spiders were Liyphia triangularis and Garden-cross Orb-weaver whilst another 4-spot Orb-weaver was seen.

In the Big Pool area of Newchurch Common this afternoon, dull and mild, no sun.

A nice shoal of around 15 Perch were by a peg on the north side of the pool.

A few butterflies, the most noteworthy being a Small Copper in the east meadows.

Only one dragonfly but a female Black Darter in the east meadows was the first of that species away from the mosses this year.

Several moths were seen, the best undoubtably being a huge Poplar Hawkmoth, my first here, flying past north of the Pine Belt. Also seen were at least 30 Straw Grass-moths (Agriphila straminella) in all the meadows, a new moth this year. Another new species was Scalloped Tortrix (Acleris emargana)Other moths seen for a repeat time were Straw Dot, Blood-vein, Mother-of-Pearl and Dingy Footman.

Leafmines of a sawfly Profenusa pygmaea were in several oak leaves in the pine belt.

A Common Stiletto Fly (Thereva nobilitata) was near the entrance barrier and the Marsh Snipefly (Rhagio tringarius) was at the NE corner of the Pine Belt. One holly bush was full of leafmines of the Holly Leafminer fly (Phytomyza ilicis).

Two new leaf hopper bugs were found, Aphrodes makarovi andPopulicerus albicans, both near Big Pool Island Cut. There were 4 Hairy Shieldbugs here too, including 2 final instar nymphs and 2 adults.

A new fungus added today was the minute Frosty Bonnet (Mycena tenerrrima) in leaf litter in a copse in the east meadows.

A morning walk in the weak sun, but still warm, on the mossland part of my Newchurch Patch.

A Common Lizard was basking today.

The massive butterfly highlight was a Purple Hairstreak that was also basking, down at low level with its wings open. To get one low down is rare but to get it basking, wings open is even rarer!!

There were 3m Emperors today but little else of note odonata-wise.

Both a Common Carpet and a Diamondback Moth were photographed.

The hoverfly Melanostoma mellinum was a repeat sighting on patch but a first on Shemmy Moss. All 3 Long Hoverflies seen were females and so not IDable to species. A Turnip Sawfly (Athalia rosae) was photographed.

A new species was Four-banded Beegrabber (Conops quadrifasciatus) whilst a repeat was Ferruginous Beegrabber.

Around 5 Green Leafhoppers (Cicadella viridis) were new for patch and a bog specialist species.

A nice group of around 8 Sphagnum Greyling fungi were amongst the sphagnum!

..................... AND : the advantages of being well known on my Local Patch paid dividends again, on leaving I was picked up by a Nursery tractor and driven back to my car parked outside the Nursery approach road entrance, brilliant 

On my BTO WeBS Count at Newchurch Common so not as much time for other wildlife today, hot & sunny.

Standing by Small Pool counting birds I noticed several small shoals of fish in the shallows, overall the total was 45 Perch, including one around 10cm long whereas the rest were only tiddlers up to 4cm!

A Purple Hairstreak was seen in a new oak, on the south side of Small Pool.

On Small Pool a Common Darter and a male Emperor were noted.

After finding a male and a female Southern Oak Bush Cricket in our Moulton garden in the past 2 years today we found 2 Southern Oak Bush Cricket nymphs as we lightly trimmed vegetation ready for the green bin collection tomorrow! It was all of 3mm long and green on green but my wife Carys spotted them and it's post-eye operation, hopefully proves that the op worked!! As nymphs it theoretically isn't possible to distinguish them from Oak Bush Cricket, but as we have never recorded that species in our garden I think our best guess ID is safe 

An afternoon mainly around Big Pool, Newchurch Common, sunny & hot.

A fab butterfly day with 15 species seen in a small area of the patch! The best of these was a Purple Hairstreak down on brambles on Sandy Lane. The bad news was that I forgot my phone so no photos, poo! Around 5 Essex Skippers today in North Meadow including a mating pair, and at least 16 Small Skippers too. It was a good day for emergents with 20 Meadow Browns, 40 Gatekeepers and 30 Large Whites seen. Other species were Small White, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and 2 Holly Blue.

A stunning male Ruddy Darter was the first 'red' one of this species seen. Also seen were Common Darter and Brown Hawker as well as Common Blue, Azure, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed Damselflies.

The first Six-spot Burnet of the year was in North Meadow and around 15 Shaded Broad-bar moths were seen. Another new species was Straw Grass-moth (Agriphila straminella).

Two Cherry Galls were on an oak leaf on Sandy Lane, made by the Cherry Gall Wasp Cynips quercusfolii.

Another Common Field Grasshopper was photographed, this one being the biggest yet.

The pink form of Hedge Bindweed was on Sandy Lane.

A very short walk on my Newchurch Patch am, some light drizzle and just mild not hot, for a change!

A totally new hoverfly for me, Melanostoma mellinum was added, seen in the Big Pool SW Glade.

A new fly addition to the yearlist was the caddisfly Mottled Sedge (Glyphotaelius pellucidus), near the main track just west of the pools.

At least 7 Tawny Grisette mushrooms were in their old traditional location, but as my patch has been hit by indiscriminate fungi foragers, who strip the area of every fungus and then ID later, I'm not revealing the exact location.

A Dark Mullein plant and 2 Intermediate Evening Primroses were new and in the Big Pool SW Glade.

Morning on the Shemmy Moss part of my Newchurch Local path. Sunny & hot.

A Common Lizard skittered off as I walked through.

A good butterfly walk with 2 Small Coppers and 5 Gatekeepers being the highlights. Other species were Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Comma, Red Admiral, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet.

An old looking Brown Silver-line moth was photographed.

Repeat orthoptera were multiples of both Bog Bush Cricket and Common Field Grasshopper.

The first Tawny Grisette mushroom (Amanita fulva) of the year was seen in an area that I've never found them before.

A very short walk on Newchurch pre-swan rescue (see bird thread!). Cloudy but warm.

Currently in Big Pool there are shoals of young fish. Ones that I have managed to ID so far have been Carp and Perch.

A few butterflies were out including Small Skippers and Ringlets but the best was a pristine, newly emerged Peacock.

A Common Wasp was photographed face on to prove it's identity! A nice Ferruginous Sawfly (Tenthredo ferruginea) was in the Big Pool east meadows.

A Long Hoverfly (prob Sphaerophoria scripta) was in the east meadows too. Nearby the first Tapered Dronefly for a while was photographed.

A Harlequin Ladybird of the form conspicua was in the east meadow as was a 4th instar Green Shieldbug.

A Broad Centurion Fly (Chloromyia formosa) was also in east meadow.

A good morning on the mosslands section of my Newchurch Patch. Overcast but warm, no breeze.

A nice male Grass Snake was on Shemmy Moss again, same place as on Friday 27th.

There were 2(1m) Black-tailed Skimmers on Shemmy Moss, including the first 'blue' male this year.

Just 1 Grass Wave moth was seen.

Two types of gall were on the same oak on one of the tracks, Artichoke Gall by the Gall Wasp Andricus foecundatrix, and Silk-button Spangle Gall by the Gall wasp Neuroterus numismalis.

The biggest find was the national mega Cheshire Horsefly (Atylotus plebeius), a species that I re-discovered here after it hadn't been seen for many years and is now only known from 2 sites in the whole of the UK, my patch being one! It took up its typical head-down pose that I saw it doing last year and then walked slowly around the heather stem but took off before I got a picture! Also seen, and new for 2025, were 3 Awkward Cluster Flies (Pollenia rudis), a common fly here.

A Striped Millipede was the first on the mosses but the second of the year on patch.

A wetland specialist spider, a Piratula sp. was seen carrying an egg sac on the moss.

Another bog specialist found today was the small mushroom Bog Bell (Galerina paludosa).

All day on my Newchurch Patchm am near the pools, pm on the mosses, fine and dry with some sun.

A good day for reptiles with a Grass Snake, a Common Lizard and a Red-eared Terrapin all seen, the latter not so welcome! The snake was quite small, possibly a male and it and the lizard were on Shemmy Moss. The terrapin was in Small Pool. A Common Toad-let was by Small Pool too.

There were up to 3 Purple Hairstreaks in the crown of the favourite oak tree today near the main track between the pools. An extra butterfly to add to yesterdays haul was a Small Tortoiseshell, making 13 species over the two days!

As yesterday was 12 species of butterfly, today was 12 species of odonata! The best find was a Ruddy Darter on Shemmy Moss, a new species for the year. Also seen on the mosses only were 27 Black Darters, a Common Darter, 2(1m) Emperors and 2 Four-spotted Chasers. More widespread were Brown Hawker, and the 6 damselflies, Common Blue, Azure, Blue-tailed, Red-eyed, Large Red and Common Emerald.

A great find were 2ad Scarlet Tiger Moths, after previously having only seen the caterpillars. It was only a matter of time, but today was that day!! They were in the Big Pool SW Glade where I find the caterpillars. Also seen again this year were a few Celypha lacunana micromoths all in Gull Pool. A Silver Y moth was on Newchurch Common again in the meadows. A Horse Chestnut with nearly every leaf showing the mines of the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner moth (Cameraria ohridella) was by the Whitegate Way. Exit holes in a log in Gull Pool Wood looked very like those of the Lunar Hornet Clearwing moth.

The cuckoo bee Bombus sylvestris (Forest Cuckoo Bumblebee) was on Shemmy Moss and was new this year. Up to 10 Marmalade Hoverflies were seen with one photographed.

The black beetle Pterostichus nigrita was in Gull Pool Wood under a log. A Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) was on Shemmy Moss. At least 20 Harlequin Ladybirds were by Shemmy Moss. A Click Beetle larva was under a log in Gull Pool Wood, but no further ID was possible. A Potato Capsid Bug Closterotomus norwegicus was on Musk-mallow in the Big Pool SW Glade. A Green Shieldbug was on Shemmy Moss by the entrance road as well as a Dock Bug. 

Again over 10 Bog Bush Crickets were on Shemmy Moss and over 6 Roesel's Bush Crickets were seen in the Big Pool Meadows.

Another Ferruginous Bee-grabber was seen, this one in Gull Pool Wood. The lacewing Chrysopa perla was again on Shemmy Moss.

A nice fungus was deep in the wet moss on Shemmy Moss, Gymnopus aquosus and was a new species for patch. Also new was a Pavement Mushroom (Agaricus bitorquis) by the nursery entrance road. The fungal infection Dasineura pustulans was on bramble leaves  on Newchurch Common.

New plants photographed were Musk-mallow and Perforate St.John's Wort, both in the Big Pool SW Glade. Hedge Bindweed was confirmed as the species growing in Big Pool SW Glade.

An afternoon walk today to get the best of the weather, warm, some sun but breezy at times.

A good butterfly day with twelve species on the wing, easily my best butterfly day of the year! There were 2 Essex Skippers, a Large Skipper and an amazing 21 Small Skippers in Big Pool north meadow today. As I was leaving a highlight was a Purple Hairstreak in an oak canopy near the entrance barriers on Novia Scotia Lane. Around 17 Commas were noted, all fresh and looking superb in the sunshine. The three whites, Large White, Small White and Green-veined White were all seen as were the browns Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and 40 Ringlets, whilst 3 Red Admirals made up the twelve species for today.

As well as the common damselflies there were a male Southern Hawker, 3 Brown Hawkers and a Common Darter in the Big Pool meadows today.

Moths were wellrepresented too with a Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet and 3 Silver Y moths in the north meadow. Around 60 Cinnabar caterpillars were on ragwort near Big Pool island Cut.

Around 6 adult and nymph Common Field Grasshoppers were again in the north meadow as well as up to 3 Roesel's Bush Crickets today, although searching was brief.