Greater Manchester Wildlife

A wet mooch things winding down

Maidenhair Spleenwort - Asplenium trichomanes

Agonum fuliginosum ground beetle alpha hosp woods

chironomonus luridus none biting midge

emmelina monodactyla plume moth

Parasitellus mite on bumble bee 80% of queens infected they feed on bee wax and rather than feeding on the queen they hitch a lift

Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman on willow hinds

culex pipiens mosquito dam in a vweb

pretty sure Leistus rufomarginatus ground beetle spenmoor Moving north

pirata hygrophilus spider spenmoor pond

ichneumon wasp spenmoor pond I saw one of these on the canal bolton so they are parasitoid wasp ass with water can't id

Pterostichus niger ground beetle hinds

And Orb spider arianus diadematus in the rain it was against the light

Some late things brought out by the sun

Comma and Small copper

Lesser Stitchwort Self Heal and Garlic Mustard in flower

Large nordman spruce river bank

Orb weaver Araneus diadematus spider courtship. These are the colourful fat spiders seen on webs. Its dangerous stuff for the male. He usually gets eaten. This pair were battling until the female retired to her boudiour in the reed head pursued.

Nursery Web spider Pisaura mirabilis sun bathing Their mating technique is some what safer. The male presents the female with dinner and then while she's esting it well say no more.

Wolf Spider pirata hygrophilus on dam very fast very common but whilst I was taking pictures it started to jump up and down..

funnel web spider could not id it but assume house spider disturbed eating a wolf spider that had strayed

Other spiders Sheert Web Spider Neriena peltata, Orb spider on rail bridge  zygiella x notata, and hansome Metellina merianae Crow tree,

and two parasitic wasps most bugs low in numbers apart from midges

-- Edited by IanB on Saturday 1st of October 2011 11:16:54 PM

more today

spiders Neriene montana, enoplognatha ovata, Neriene peltata, Metellina mengei poss, harvest man Paroligolophus agrestis, pyrata hygrophilus, tegenaria domstica huge great thing on sliuce house, ground beetle Anchomenus dorsalis.

More today many more t ID some of these listed before

Birch rust Melampsoridium betulinum., WILLOW Stem gall , Pucciniastrum epilobii rust poss on great willow herb

spiders some wolf ones

pirata hygrophilus dip, rochosa terricola dip

orb web spiders

araneus quadratus female dip, araneus diadematus dip, larinoides cornutus

some spiders now ID

larinioides cornutus male 15/09

araneus quadratus 11/09/11

Linyphia triangular is 08.09

tetragnatha extensa 16.06.

Araniella opisthographa 11/06

drassodes lapidosus 09/11

xysticus sabulosus 18.4.11

Two long walks Thurs and Sat. Thursday Sunny Sat deplorable but some nice finds

These are in part from Saturday will do others later

Red oak leaf spot Tubakia dryina railway, Bucculatrix ulmella leaf miner on oak tenative, COLA NUT GALL Agent: Andricus lignicola Gall wasp on oak, more knocker gall on oak res, Halyzia sedecimguttata orange ladybird om ash railway at least seven, a ponderous glorius bug laying eggs looks like some form of beetle larvae unknown,  ASH LEAFLET ROLL GALL Agent: Psyllopsis fraxini A plant louse tentative. whats looks like a gall midge stunning but unknown, BIRCH BLISTER with ERINEUM underneath. Agent: Aculus leionotus A mite, Diplocarpon rosae black spot on briar, stunning bright green Chalcid Wasp Hinds too many to ID, Birch bud gall mite Eriophyidae, Beech, Guignardia aesculi, fungus horse chestnut cem, orange jelly fungus, and from Thursaday one carrot on the dam, and a great number of this fungus unid

walk today

leaf roll on willow Phyllocolpa coriacea poss sawfly as no silk, ALDER Blister gall Agent: Eriophyes brevitarsus A mite, .CRACK WILLOW LEAF EDGE ROLLED Agent: Rabdophaga clausilia

Field maple, sessile oak, small flowered evening primrose, fungi turkey tail

moth Cnephasia gunus withins ground beetle Loricera pilicornis spenmoor

male wasp mimesa equestris wasp as seen yesterday saw 4 confirmed this species.

lots of distinctive spiders but very difficult  to ID

very quick visit along the dam and around old hall lane.

Aceria cephaloneus pouch gall on sycamore type of mite

Phytomyza ilicis gall/miner of  an Agromyzid fly on holly

Dasineura urtica nettle pouch gall of a cecid fly on nettle works its way along plant vien

and atype of leaf spot on clover several contenders

Linyphia triangularis spider

Hairy Snail - Trochulus hispidus

Quick visit

Star find today

Knopper oak gall wasp Andricus quercuscalicis on pent oak nearest record warrington only found two old galls spenmoor.

Very nice red admiral and a moth that looks like a satin or common wave but not sure wing marking not clear.

melampsora epitea willow rust  hinds oak mildew (Microsphaera alphitoides, bramble leaf-rust fungus Phragmidium violaceum

Plant bug late colour form Liocoris tripustulatus hinds on nettle

Ilione albiseta fly canal attacks snails again few local records but widespread assume overlooked

Blanket weed (Spirogyra adnate canal, common toadflax hinds

Hey Ian,

Not sure on the Honey Waxcap - if you knead the stem for a bit you get the honey smell if it were, though there are plenty of orangey/red waxcaps that are not illustrated in most books.

The second fungus would not like to say.

Coleosporium tussilaginis is the current name for your rust and infects coltsfoot and pine too.

All the best

Dave

Forgot to mention I saw another yesterday same spot or the same one in the same spot which is on the earth bank of the path that goes fronm the boat house down to the dip/canal. Basking on earth banks is apparently a feature of these. The only other place I have seen these again with some regularity is on the Bury Rochdale Border near Birtle.

visit today

Wall rue canal Clustered dock Creeping buttercup Meadow buttercup Bulbous buttercup Common orache Chickweed Sticky mouseear Up right hedge parsley Field speedwell Marsh cudweed Common couch grass Comment bent Creeping bent Broad buckler fern Larinioides cornutus spider dip Tar Spot Fungus Rhytisma acerinum Phalangium opilio harvestman Perch withins res

Other hoverflies and bugs to ID

Few bits from this week many thing slowing down

Meadow Barley cocks foot grass Fat hen  Haory ragwort Japanese knottweed Teazel nodding bur marigold dip water mint dip michalmass daisy res

Xylota segnis hoverfly Mesembrina meridiana fly cluster fly pollenia canal

sure Bibio Pomona fly this is a type of st amrks fly with redlegs saw two only reported on the coast in S Lancs Vice county none in cheshire next nearest NE Derbyshire.

and Mitopus morio harvest man dip

Long walk today

Lots of ichumens but unable to ID,

Bugs

leaf cutter bee railway, Eupeodes luniger (female hoverfly. Sciara hemerobioides fungus knat. Volucella bombylans hoverfly, Chrysotoxum bicinctum hoverfly railway, , Eristalis arbustorum hinds hoverfly, Four-barred Major - Oxycera rara soldier fly, devils coachman, rove beetle, Brassy Willow Beetle (Phratora vitellinae), flying black ant crow trees, Thelaira nigripes canal parasiitc fly on moths, helophilus gravitates hoverfly canal, green shieldbug instar, Ilione albiseta canal snail killer parasitic fly, ,

Plants white melliot hinds hare bell dip, devils bit scabious dip, mombretia, several places

Lots of Butterfly dragonflies Peacock, Comma, Small TT Shell Painted lady Gatekeeper, all whites large small skipper one speckled wood and meadow browns. Common & brown hawker, common darter azure damsel.

Large Bream seen in Res

But things seem to be reducing. 8 weeks left of the summer

in bold pics

Had a sparse if friutful visit had a tip on broad leaved helliborines at end of canal from Stev but these seem to have been strimmed by Bury MBC. Did find what I'm sure are Broad leaved Helleborine on the railway line. Not 100% leaves right but flowers very green. also leucozona glaucia hoverf;y, Common Hawker,  Eristalis intricarius hoverfly bee mimic part of the drone fly family, and the last fly Conops quadrifasciatus  thats took me ages to nail it's parisitic on bumble bees nearest record formby coast so a nice find. a red flower that remains unid from the Francis Rose book and my other references which was located at the dam wall repair area I asume a garden blow in. More bugs to ID later

Visit today lots of bugs out after the rain

Star metalic green torymidae wasp over 900 species some feed on leaves many feed as parasitoid on Galls. Two seen on nettle on canal.

Shield bug sure Picromerus bidenscromerus final instar. Predator on larvae widespread in coverage and habitat but not on NBN for GM found below withins dam

Wolf spider with eggs trotting off into the verbage.

Plant bugs

Plagiognathus arbustorum and Liocoris tripustulatus seen before bt different colour forms canal on nettle.

Deraeocoris ruber NBN not reported in GM but overlooked.

Deraeocoris flavilinea quite a few of these that are marching north again canal

Plants Corn Flower Poppy seen same place as Scorpion flower so seed bank seems to have been disturbed. Spear leaved Orache and an unknown  fungus on groundsel

Curious grass on canal

Other bugs still to ID

Shore Bug Chartoscirta cincta    Two other Speciesin this Genus elegantula and cocksii both have light segments to the antenna. Cincta has dark 2nd segnent of antenna. Apparently widespread in marshes. Found at end of canal on a log.  NBN Nearest Record Lancashire coast. I will get conformation

Plant Bug Plagiognathus arbustorum apparantly extremely common bug is found throughout the UK on a range of plants, particularly nettles Found side of canal. NBN one record near airport.

Frogbit end of canal Blackcurrent hinds and trailing bellflower almost certainly escapee blowin gone wild deep in the trees at hinds.

Hover fly leucozona laternaria on hogweed

Dancing Fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus dolichopodidae genus ID by Green thorax White wing tips. 'It lives in damp places with lush vegetation and is often seen resting on mud or on the water surface. A mating dance precedes copulation' NBN has it one record Tameside. There were about thirty.

All bugs are almost much more common than NBN suggests.

Hi Ian,

what I record as Altica cf lythri is always on Willowherb and is  a similar dark blue. I say cf because the Altica paper has genitalia as diagnostic that all look alike!

Agelastica alni is Red Data Book Insufficient and is also listed as a worldwide tree pest by  Googling.

Dave

Dave,

I know what it is. I wanted Ian to share the joy of the hunt.

Dave

Ian,

Do you have maps showing where the boundaries of the Sites of Biological Importance are in our area? I have invited the GMEU to look at this topic on this forum, giving your name.

I know they would appreciate records presented ultimately on an SBI basis.

Maybe they will email you the SBI maps and citations if you ask.

MBB Canal SBI

Daisyfield SBI

Elton Reservoir environs SBI

Spen Moor ponds SBI

Black Lane Marlpits SBI

Wetland near (Coney Green School) Radcliffe SBI

Elton Goit (Old Hall Farm)

Lower Hinds alkaline waste aka"Vat" waste SBI

Swan Lodge and Goits SBI

By the way the black beetle on Alder is the one I meant by inflated blue beetle - its blue once you start to study it. It would be great if you could try to id' it and look it up on NBN, and google it too, and then tell me what you think.

Dave

Fat, squat Donacia on Broad-leaved Pondweed always versicolorea. Good find as Canada Geese are destroying this plant (and all others) where they nest by small ponds.

Ian,

Have a look for the inflated blue leaf beetles sitting on Grey and Uk Alder and let me know what you think they may be. Found these on young Alder at Hinds Mill tip yesterday. (!)

Dave

Just had the record of Plant Bug Deraeocoris flavilinea confirmed one of the by the team from

http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/gallery/heteroptera/Miridae/miridae.html

This is an excellent resource for ID of Sheild and Plant bugs and started on Flikr.

This bug is one from the continent moving north apparently introduded reported on one site on an import of snap dragons

'Thank you very much for the details of your find.  On this side of the Pennines it has been reported from Leeds (by Joe Botting) and from the East Riding of Yorkshire (by Bill Dolling). The latter record was of two females beaten from hazel a few weeks ago.  These two are, so far, the most northerly records I have received.  In Sheffield this has been turning up in increasing numbers over the past two years (most often on hazel) and now appears to be more commonly recorded than D. ruber!  Today I was at a site near Nottingham where I recorded D. flavilinea from beating ash. '

I initially could not ID it and parked it in the un ID bin. So revisited and a nice find.

Also today another Donacia species from the canal. The one reported before is not 
Donacia semicuprea and is different to the one today. There were four of today type at the end of the canal and a very curious fly. Thanks to Pondi for the help with clarrification and correcting ID and I will put my thoughts tommoz. 

Pics are the two found pairs of beetles and fly today also saw common blue damsel

A couple of years ago I recorded one Helleborine plant at Swan Lodge. If you go west from the main lodge you hit a ditch. On the slopes of the tip right near the ditch (near a pile of rubbish I took from the ponds and marsh there).

Actually I think it was Broad-leaved Helleborine I recorded. Come to think I dunno it I found it in flower.

Play round with the Sweet-flag on the lodge. Crush the leaves and they make a wonderful smell.

Pondy