During the weekly butterfly and dragonfly counts around Castle Water, I also decided to do a bit of informal spider hunting around the Barn Field. The fence line here has turned out to be an excellent way for lazy spider enthusiasts such as myself to survey, as many species seem to love climbing up the posts to sun themselves. Read the rest of this entry »
On the flowers of Mouse-eared Hawkweed there have been many beetles that have been identified by Peter Hodge as Oedemera lurida. “A dull metallic-green elongate beetle. The larvae develop in plant stems and the adults are usually found on flowers,
particularly umbels and hawthorns.”
At about 07.00 this morning the Barn Owl flew up the valley with a small mammal in its talons. A calling Hobby appeared and proceeded to fly under the owl and steal the prey from the rightful owner.