Peacock!

A Peacock butterfly was nectaring on the Buddleia on the disused platform at the station this morning, also Michaelmas Daisies in flower nearby.

Peacock

Michaelmas Daisies

In Montpelier Park there was a pair of Blackbirds and a Wren was seen briefly hopping along the path - not often I see them out in the open (it was too quick for a photo though).  A Grass Fly species (Chloropidae) was sat on a leaf. I wish I'd got a better shot of it as it looked quite an attractive little fly.

Grass Fly

Montpelier Station!

As I arrived at the station this morning a pair of Ravens flew over, calling. I was hoping they would settle on the TV mast but they must have flown on. A nice patch of Melilot growing beyond the western end of the platform. A Zygiella x-notata spider was on the wall.

Melilot

Zygiella x-notata

Full list of yesterday's moths:
Common Footman
Scarce Footman (?)
Poplar Hawkmoth
Jersey Tiger
Large Yellow Underwing
Rustic/Uncertain
Common Rustic agg. (?)
Heart and Dart
Riband Wave
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Lesser Yellow Underwing
Mother of Pearl
Coronet
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Grey/Dark Dagger

Also several Harlequin Ladybirds and a couple of Caddisflies.

The Tiger and the Hawk!

The moth trap produced a few odds and ends this morning including my first Poplar Hawkmoth and Jersey Tiger for my Montpelier patch. Also a Common Footman was the first for a while. I haven't had time to look at the whole moth catch today so I will update the blog tomorrow 😊

Poplar Hawkmoth

Jersey Tiger

Common Footman

At the station there were a couple of Large White butterflies patrolling the disused platform, and the Wild Teasel was looking splendid. A single Jackdaw flew over, calling.

Teasel

Distant Large White

Fox v Cat stare-out competition!

This morning at the station a cat was sat on the platform near the tunnel looking at something and, following its gaze I saw a Fox sat in the grass. Nearby there were more Cinnabar Moth caterpillars on the Ragwort plants and on the wall was a tiny spider called Theridion varians - a pretty little thing but this species has loads of different colours so not easy to identify. A Coal Tit was singing this morning too, not that common at the station, tending to prefer the park.

Hidden Fox

Crouching cat

Cinnabar Moth caterpillars

Theridion varians

Last night I had the following moths in my trap:
Knot Grass 2
Chrysoteuchia culmella 2
Ermine moth sp. 1
Anania coronata 1
Probable Common Rustic agg.
Grey/Dark Dagger
Bright-line Brown-eye 1
Riband Wave 3
Shuttle-shaped Dart 1
Heart and Dart 3
Marbled Beauty 2
Large Yellow Underwing 1
Probable Cabbage Moth 1
Coronet 1
Dark Arches 1

Knot Grass

Anania coronata

Coronet

Montpelier Station!

Not too much to report this morning other than a probable Leaf-cutter Bee on the far side of the tracks and a Small White butterfly which was too far away to photograph.

An exceedingly distant Leaf-cutter Bee

This morning the moth trap produced 7 Dark Arches, 6 Heart and Dart, 1 Rustic/Uncertain, 1 Large Yellow Underwing, 1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 1 Clay and the micro-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella. Additional guests in the trap included a Common Wasp and the Caddisfly Mystacides longicornis which looks the same species as the one I caught last week.

Broad=bordered Yellow Underwing

Mystacides longicornis

Chrysoteuchia culmella

Clay

Dark Arches

Common Wasp

Rustic/Uncertain

Large Yellow Underwing

Heart and Dart

St Andrews Park!

A visit to the pond and meadow area today produced a couple of Cinnabar Moth caterpillars on the ragwort, a Meadow Brown butterfly, a Sphaerophoria hoverfly, a Marmalade Hoverfly, an Azure Damselfly plus Honey Bees, Leaf-cutter Bees and Buff-tailed Bumblebees.

Cinnabar Moth caterpillar

Meadow Brown

Small White

Sphaerophoria hoverfly

Montpelier Station!

I searched some Ragwort for Cinnabar Moth caterpillars and found one - unfortunately it was on the other side of the tracks so only a distant shot I'm afraid. On the wall there was a tiny Erigone spider, one of the money spiders. Mugwort was growing nearby and Cut-leaved Cranesbill was showing well along Station Road.

Cinnabar Moth caterpillar

Cut-leaved Cranesbill

Mugwort

Erigone spider

Vanishing Fox!

This morning at the station a Fox stepped out onto the railway line after the Severn Beach-bound train passed but saw me and disappeared just as I pressed my camera shutter and I only captured its tail! Very frustrating. Two distant Swifts were flying towards Cheltenham Road arches, seen through binoculars. A Ladybird is puzzling me - is it a 14 or 22 spot ladybird? Can't make up my mind. It was on foliage along the station approach. In the as yet uncut verge at Station Road a very small hoverfly which I assume to be a Eupeodes species although the ones I normally see are usually much bigger (they vary in size though). Update: Hoverfly identified as Eupeodes corollae.

Back end of a Fox!

Ladybird

Eupeodes

This evening checked out a very overgrown grassy patch at Portland Square where there was some Selfheal, Herb Robert and Broad-leaved Willowherb in flower.

Broad-leaved Willowherb

Herb Robert

Selfheal

Last night I put the moth trap out and this morning there were a few interesting moths including 3 or 4 Dark Arches, a Clay, a few Heart and Dart, a Riband Wave, a presumed Rustic, a Common Marbled Carpet and the micro-moth Cydia pomonella. There was also a Caddisfly in the trap but I'm absolutely nowhere any water!

Caddisfly

Clay

Common Marbled Carpet

Cydia pomonella

Dark Arches

Rustic

Riband Wave