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).

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 29th of June 2025 04:46:33 PM

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.

Gatewarth
Large Skippers now out
1 Broad Bodied Chaser Dragonfly

Originally posted by John O’Neill today from Gatewarth, Cheshire:

New Butterfly ssp for year ...Ringlets . Meadow Browns, Speckled Wood. Large White , Red Admiral and Comma all on wing. The latter 2 sps feeding on some very unlovely dog waste .

A very very short nip onto the Newchurch Pools area due to other commitments for the rest of today. On early but already hot and sunny.

The reward was my first Common Darter by Small Pool. A recently emerged male Southern Hawker was along the main track between the main pools.

A Ruby Tiger caterpillar was a new species for the year.

A bindweed was checked carefully and IDed as Greater Bindweed (Convolvulus silvaticus) due to the bracts completely covering the sepals on the flower. I now need to check the previous record of Hedge Bindweed as I didn't look at this feature or have photographs that show it!

All day on my Newchurch Patch in the blazing hot sun, must be mad!

The main oak produced 2 Purple Hairstreaks today up in the canopy. I had gone relatively early hoping they may come down but no luck. Around 25 well grown Peacock caterpillars were by Big Pool Island Cut.

A lifer anywhere for me was a King Diving Beetle (Dytiscus dimidiatus), the UK's largest water beetle, found in Small Pool.

A Common Ground Hopper was by Gull Pool.

Water Mint was recorded in the margins of Small Pool.

At Newchurch Common all am, warm with sunny intervals.

A Water Vole, the first ever here and a mega sighting for me on patch, was near Gull Pool.

Around 5 Common Toadlets were east of Big Pool.

A great find was my first Purple Hairstreak of the year, in the favoured oak canopy near the two opposite car parks of Big and Small Pools. This is my earliest ever sighting of this species and is a massive 18 days earlier than last year's first one. In all 10 species of butterfly were recorded, the noteworthy ones being 18 Ringlets, 10 near Big Pool and another 8 on Shemmy Moss, 4 Large Skippers, a Comma, a Red Admiral, and the rest were the usuals!

It was also a good odonata day with all 6 commoner Damselflies seen including around 180 Azure Damselflies by Gull Pool. Also another Southern Hawker was found, by Big Pool. Male and female Emperors were on Shemmy Moss, with 10 Four-spotted Chasers here too. A total of 3 Downy Emeralds were seen, 2 on Gull Pool and 1 in a private location.

A Tree Bumblebee was photographed on Shemmy Moss.

Also on Shemmy Moss a new horsefly for the year was Large Marsh Horsefly (Tabanus autumnalis).

A male Bog Bush Cricket was photographed on Shemmy Moss, adults are now obviously starting to appear!

The egg sac of a spider was on Shemmy Moss and the pale yellow-green colour hints at it being possibly of a Enoplognatha species.

On a log in Gull Pool Wood there were around 5 'colonies' of a superb Slime Mould of the Stemonitis group, a stemmed slime mould with long tops like mini greater reedmace!

Hedge Bindweed, Self-heal and Tufted Vetch were photographed, both possibly for the first time this year.

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 18th of June 2025 09:35:17 PM

A morning on Shemmy Moss, sun at first, cloudy and still warm later.

A first on the mosses this year were 4 Ringlets. Other species seen were Meadow Brown, Comma, Red Admiral and Small White.

A good odonata day with a new species for the year seen with a big emergence of 33 Black Darters. This beats the earliest date that I have recorded them here by 5 days. An immature male Black-tailed Skimmer showed well and allowed me to get my first close up photos this year! On the mossland pools around 6 Four-spotted Chasers and a male Emperor were seen. Around 6 Emerald Damselflies were the best damsels around.

A moth highlight was the first male Clouded Buff, one of my heathland specialities. This unfortunately did what 90% of Clouded Buffs do and hurtled off away from me. It ended up over the boggy pools and it was impossible to follow! Another heathland specialist and one I have never recorded before was seen in the form of a Light Knot Grass caterpillar, a black, hairy, red-spotted handsome looking larva. There were still 4 Grass Waves on the wing, again a heathland specialist. Around 10 Heath Streak micromoths and 8 Common Heaths were also seen. A new species for 2025 were 3 Silver Y moths all hovering around over the heather on Shemmy Moss.

A Narcissus Bulb Fly hoverfly was photographed as was a worker Buff-tailed Bumblebee.

Just 2 Green Tiger Beetles were seen. A Swollen-thighed Beetle was another repeat sighting, at the edge of the moss along with Rutpela maculata, the Spotted Longhorn.

4 Bog Bush Crickets were seen but of note this included the first adult female as well as the usual nymphs.

A Nursery Web Spider was at the edge of the moss, the first in this location this year and possibly the first anywhere on patch.

A morning on my Newchurch Patch, sunny and hot and quite productive.

Two amphibians were see, not a regular June occurrence, but I was in an area that I hadn't explored for a while and it has different habitats! A Common Frog and a Smooth Newt were under lots by Gull Pool.

A Painted Lady butterfly, the first for a while, was by Nunsmere.

Lots of odonata in numbers, the best dragonfly being a male Emperor over Gull Pool. At least 130 Azure Damselflies were around Gull Pool with at least 15 pairs in tandem.

Some good moths were seen, namely my first Small Yellow Wave anywhere ever, a first Brown China-mark for the year, both by Gull Pool, and the first Green Oak Tortrix of 2025, by Shemmy Moss.

A Chrysogaster solstitialis hoverfly was by Shemmy Moss, a year first.

A beetle only identifiable to Nebria sp. was under a log in Gull Pool Wood.

A pair of Common Awl Robberflies (Neoitamus cyanurus) were near Gull Pool, another year-first.

A flat millipede Polydesmus angustus was in Gull Pool Wood, the first since January.

Wolf's Milk Slime Mould was on a log in Gull Pool Wood, at least 35 'globules' of it, a different group than the previous ones this year.

The one specimen of Large-leaved Avens, on Shemmy Moss, has more flowers now, so was photographed again.

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Friday 13th of June 2025 02:21:46 PM

Morning and afternoon on a scorching Newchurch Common Local Patch.

Eight species of butterfly were seen with the best being my first 2 Ringlets of the year. both in Big Pool north meadow. Also seen were 3 Meadow Browns, a Large Skipper, a male Brimstone, a Comma, a Speckled Wood, 5 Large Whites and a Green-veined White.

A good odonata day too with a male Banded Demoiselle seen, after having seen a female earlier this year. This one was in the Big Pool east meadows and photographed. Also seen were a Brown Hawker, a Downy Emerald, and the usual five common damsels here, all around Big Pool.

Around 20 Red-pea Galls were on an oak by north meadow, the galls of the Pea Gall Wasp Cynips divisa. This was a new sighting this year.

The first 3 Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnets were seen, all in the north meadow. Also new nearby were 2 Common White Waves (Cabera pusaria).

A new beetle was on the oaks by north meadow, an Oulema duftschmidi/melanopus agg. There were 2 Red-legged Shieldbugs (Pentatoma rufipes) seen today, new for 2025, one in the north meadow and one in Big Pool Island Cut. Around 4 Spotted Longhorn Beetles (Rutpela maculata) were seen. A Tree Damsel Bug (Himacerus apterus) was new for 2025 and possibly for the site.

On the Shemmy Moss part of my Newchurch patch again am, to release a micromoth I potted up for ID and photos! Warm and still but not very sunny.

A moth was also this mornings highlight, a Light Emerald, the first ever here, rescued from a mossland pool and survived. A repeat sighting was the micromoth Celypha lacunana. Around 15 Common Heaths were seen as well as 5 Grass Waves and 5 Heath Streaks.

Out on the moss 2 Welsh Chafers (Hoplia philanthus) were new for the year.

A Twin-lobed Deer-fly (Chrysops relictus), a vividly green-eyed horsefly was seen on the entrance road, landing on a forestry worker who I was showing invertebrates to! This is a species of damp grassland but surprisingly this may be my first record here.

Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) was photographed for the first time this year.

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Also today the Hedgehog was seen a couple of times late afternoon in our Moulton garden.

 

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Monday 9th of June 2025 10:04:33 PM

Macclesfield Forest:-

Late Post for yesterday 6th June.

Given the overcast and drizzly conditions around the forest, the only butterfly to be

found was a single Meadow Brown seen on bramble flowers near Ridgegate Reservoir.

Spent this morning on Newchurch Common around Big Pool. The weather alternated between sunny & cloudy!

A new butterfly species was added for the year in the shape of 2(m+f) Meadow Browns. Also seen were 2 Large Skippers and a Red Admiral. A big group of c.80 Peacock Caterpillars was found in a nettle patch, all just hatched.

To complete a 'brown' day a Brown Hawker was near Big Pool too, also the first of the year.

A nice new sawfly Tenthredo mesomela was by Big Pool Island Cut and was new for 2025.

A Harlequin Ladybird was photographed for the first time this year albeit a repeat sighting and a Harlequin larva was found too, both in the Pine Belt.

The first fungus for a while was seen, the spring species Common Fieldcap (Agrocybe pediades), in Big Pool east meadow. 

There was a Common Twayblade now in full 'flower', nice to see these understated 'lesser' orchids clinging on here. Foxgloves were in flower ad photographed and formally recorded for the first time this year. White Campion was a repeat sighting, but lots in flower currently.

A productive afternoon on the Shemmy Moss part of my Newchurch Patch. Eventually really hot and sunny after rain this morning.

There were 2 Common Lizards basking, nice to see again, the previous hot spell was just too hot to see them basking unless I got on patch around 5.30am!

Around 25 Four-spotted Chasers were flying and just one Downy Emerald.

There was a hatch of two of the mossland specialist moths. The first species was 20 Grass Waves (Perconia strigillaria), whizzing around and rarely settling for pictures. The second was 18 Heath Streaks (Pleurota bicostella), a distinctive mossland micromoth. Another moth was seen around the gorse bushes, 7 Common Gorse Moths (Cydia ulicetana), also new for the year.

The Click Beetle Hemicrepidius hirtus was new for the patch ever. Around 10 Green Tiger Beetles included a mating pair.

Another highlight was the first 6 Bog Bush Cricket nymphs (Metrioptera brachyptera) of the year.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

From yesterday, too late to edit but was a typo and should have read 14-Spot Ladybird!!

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Friday 30th of May 2025 09:18:57 PM

Sandbach Flashes Afternoon visit

The lane at the side of Elton Hall Flash proved to be a good place for mini-beasts today.

Butterflies :- 3 Red Admirals plus a pair of Large Skippers that had a prolonged aerial tussle.

Odonata:- At least 4 Banded Demoiselles.

Just a couple of finds on Newchurch Common today.

First a Carabid beetle larva, not identifiable to species and secondly my second Common Green Grasshopper of the year, an adult this time after a nymph before.

 

Out most of the day but a quick nip onto Newchurch Common en route.

A small 3" long Pike was in the shallows at Big Pool Island Cut, seen and photographed. Lots of toadpoles here which it was almost certainly hunting.

Two visits to my patch in hot sun again, am on the mosslands, pm on Newchurch Common.

It was a fantastic Odonata day again, with the best day total this year with 12 species seen. The first (fem) Banded Demoiselle of 2025 was in Big Pool Island Cut. Also nearby was a Hairy Dragonfly and a newly emerged Broad-bodied Chaser. On Shemmy Moss the dragonfly highlights were a male Emperor and a female-type Black-tailed Skimmer. Downy Emeralds and Four-spotted Chasers were again seen in large numbers. The other 5 'common' damselflies (Azure, Common Blue, Blue-tailed, Large Red and Red-eyed) were all on Newchurch Common.

Another 2 Burnet Companion Moths were in Big Pool Island cut. Even better in the same area was the first Green Carpet Moth for patch.

The click beetle Athous haemorrhoialis was near Big Pool and new for this year. A new mirid bug Calocoris alpestris was also near Big Pool Island Cut, a species classed as 'Local' so not common!.

A tachinid fly Tachina fera, the first this year, was near Big Pool.

On Newchurch around the pools am and pm, hot & sunny.

Another 2 Painted Ladys were seen, one on the main track bewteen the pools that was larger and tatty and one (possibly the same as yesterdays one) in Big Pool North Meadow. A single Large Skipper was in Island Cut Meadow.

A male Emperor Dragonfly was seen over Small Pool.

Two new moths were added today in the form of Burnet Companion (Euclidia glyphicain) in Big Pool North Meadow and 2 Straw Dots (Rivula sericealis) in East Meadow.

The Sawfly Tenthredo temula was seen in the East Meadows.

A Eurasian Drone Fly (Eristalis arbustorum) was in the Big Pool SW glade, a repeat sighting but not seen for some time.

A few flowers were new for the year, Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus) on both pools, Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) near 'Lazyman's Peg' and Garden Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) near the parking area.

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Tuesday 20th of May 2025 10:31:47 PM

As mentioned on the bird thread I have two days worth on news here for my Newchurch Patch. Hot & sunny both days.

Saturday 17th May 2025:

A day entirely on Shemmy Moss due to a busy angling day on the pools.

A new moth was the micro Dusky Marble (Orthotaenia undulana) whilst Silver-ground Carpet was a repeat sighting.

A Stripe-faced Dronefly was seen again as was Sericomyia lappona.

A few beetles were recorded. Plateumaris sericea was new for the year as was Malachite Beetle (Malachius bipustulatus). A new weevil was on oak, Phyllobius pomaceus.

Two new sawflies were recorded, the orange abdomened Arge cyanocrocea andPamphilius sylvaticus (prob).

A new fly was Hydrotaea diabolus.

Germander Speedwell was photographed, a repeat sighting.

 

Sunday 18th May 2025:

An excellent butterfly day with two new species for the year, the first being 2 Painted Ladys, the first on Shemmy Moss followed by one on Newchurch Island Cut Meadow. Also new were 2 Large Skippers, in the Big Pool meadows. Nine other species made it an 11 species day for butterflies.

Without anything new it was still a 9 species day for Odonata with a Hairy Dragonfly and 2 Broad-bodied Chasers the best ones, all on Newchurch Common.

A new moth species today was a Yellow Horned Moth caterpillar (Achlya flavicornis) on Shemmy Moss.

A Cockchafer Beetle and 3 Garden Chafers were repeat sightings, all on Shemmy Moss.

The Common Twayblades seem fewer in number, some showing signs of probable slug damage, but a couple are close to flowering now.

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 18th of May 2025 10:46:19 PM

Hot, sunny but breezy on Newchurch am.

A 15" long Pike (Esox lucius) was seen just under the surface in Big Pool Island Cut. The first this year in a location that I have seen them previously.

A new moth was added, Silver Grass-miner (Elachista argentella), in Big Pool north meadow. A second Satellite moth caterpillar of the year was seen, on the main track between the pools.

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 15th of May 2025 09:05:16 PM

Late Posting for yesterday 13.05.25 (Afternoon)

Chelford Sand Quarries

Butterflies:-

Mere Hall Pools area

1 Red Admiral, 7+ Brimstones, 2 Speckled Wood, 2 Green Veined White.

Lapwing Hall Pool/Arclid SQ (North End)/Colt Hovel Wood & Withington Park Pool

2 Red Admiral, 1 Painted Lady and lots of Brimstones.

The Painted Lady's behaviour was fascinating, and I spent around 30 minutes watching it.

It clearly had a fondness for the open area just beyond the iron gate overlooking Withington Park Pool,

and at the Southern end of Colt Hovel Wood. It would settle on the ground for a few moments then make

a display flight, before returning to roughly the same spot. If a Brimstone butterfly passed close by, the

Painted Lady would launch an attack, before returning to roughly the same area again, and it rarely settled

for more than a few seconds.

Odonata :- Lots of damselflies, Azure and Common Blues, but no dragonflies.

On my Newchurch Patch just am today in hot sunshine.

Another Hairy Dragonfly showed well on Shemmy Moss amongst lots of Downy Emeralds again all over the place including a pair in cop.

A Silver-ground Carpet was a new moth for the year, seen on Big Pool Island Cut meadow.

A Cockchafer on the Big Pool meadows was new for the year. A Black Snail Beetle was on Shemmy Moss in what is a record year for sightings of this species.