NORWICH: Late May interesting sightings

Late May 2024

A few species of note from my walks around Norwich. On my way home one day I checked a large hybrid Black Poplar and found occupied leaf mines of the sawfly Fenusella hortulana, which appears to be new to Norfolk. In Train Wood I saw the bug Closterotomus trivialis. I thought I had seen this before, but I can't find a record of it so it is presumably a new one for me. Whilst taking my youngest daughter to a local park I found a smut fungus called Ustilago bullata on Bromus hordaceus. It seemed to be new to Norfolk, but I have since been told there are a couple of old records under a different name that hadn't made it into the county database.

EAST NORFOLK: Spring Waxham walk

Mid April 2024

Over Easter, Adam & I went for a walk at Waxham. There was little in the way of migrant birds, although a random Brent Goose standing in a field, a couple of Swallows and my first singing Willow Warblers of the year were of note. Walking back along the beach we got good views of the seals and I saw my first Sea Gooseberry in many years. On the beach I noticed a groundbug that turned out to be Peritrechus geniculatus, a new one for me. Crossing back a sunny wooden set of steps turned out to be brilliant for insects, including Plane Tree Bug and the beetle Thanatophilus sinuatus. A Common Lizard was basking on one of the bits of fencing and allowed me to take my best ever photos of the species.

NORTH NORFOLK: Sheringham Park invertebrates

Early June 2023

One of the places we like to visit in spring is Sheringham Park when the rhododendron collection is in flower. Fortunately there are lots of native plants there too and it is a great place to see invertebrates. On this visit I saw several new or interesting things including the safly Macrophya blanda, the bug Rhabdomiris striatellus, the spider Micaria micans and some weevils, Phyllobius oblongus.

THORPE MARSHES: Late spring visit

Late May 2023

A couple of hours spent around a sunny Thorpe Marshes. A good sign that it wasn't too busy was a Grey Heron beside the path out onto the marsh, which reluctantly flew as I approached. Two recently fledged Stonechats could be seen further across the marsh, pleasing to see this species is still hanging on in this urban-ish location. The highlight of the visit was a new bug for me, Pachybrachius fracticollis, but there was plenty else of interest including lots of European Chinchbugs, several Anasimyia lineata hoverflies and great views of a settled Hairy Dragonfly. A smut fungus, Anthracoidea subinclusa, was found on Carex riparia, whilst on Hawthorn were some adult Cacopsylla peregrina psyllids.

NORWICH: Flatbug Aradus depressus

Mid-May 2023

Sometimes interesting species just turn up in the garden, and on this occasion I was locking up ready to go out when I noticed an interesting bug on an outside wall. It was one of the flatbugs, a group of very thin bugs resembling flakes of bark. This one is the commonest one, Aradus depressus, but was still a new species for me.

NORWICH: Some insects on Tamarisk

Late August 2022

I got a message from Vanna to say that whilst cutting the Tamarisk in their front garden she had noticed that there were quite a few tiny green bugs on it. These are a Tamarsik specialist, Tuponia brevirostris/hippophaes - two very similar bugs that require inspection of the rostrum length to separate. I popped round and managed to find both adult and nymphs, and as a bonus also saw some Tamarisk Leafhoppers, Opsius stactogalus.

NORWICH: Sweetbriar Marsh invertebrates

Early August 2022

One day after work I called in at Sweetbriar Marshes, where Vanna Bartlett had recently seen Andrena denticulata on the Fleabane. I managed to find a few, along with Red Bartsia Bee and a few other bees. On the reedmace I found Chilacis typhae bugs, some half buried in the seedheads, and an adult Orchestes hortorum weevil as on an Oak leaf. The most interesting find was a small micro moth on Skullcap. Unfortunately there are two rather variable species, both rare, so whilst I think this one is likely to be Small Metal-mark, Prochoreutis myllerana, it would require a specimen to confirm it. There are only 11 Norfolk records since 1900 The only previous record from TG20 is from Charles Barrett, the early moth chronicler back in 1874.

SOUTH NORFOLK: Shotesham Miris striatus

Late June 2022

A brief visit to Shotesham, where I had a quick look around the common and then unsuccessfully checked the ford for Water Crickets. Highlight was an adult Miris striatus, a very striking bug. I have seen this species previously, but as a nymph rather than adult.

NORTH NORFOLK: A visit to Holme

4th June 2022

At the start of June there was a moth trap opening at Holme Dunes NWT reserve, so we decided to go and have a look. There are quite a few coastal species that I am yet to see, and that is still the case as the cool and windy conditions meant only low numbers of mostly common species were caught. Hedge Shade, Isotrias rectifasciana, was the only 'new' species.

After the trap opening we went for a walk on the beach, the highlight of which was finding two empty sand grain tubes made by a Pectinaria sp.

After lunch we went to a short walk around the reserve. I heard my first Cuckoo of the year, and was also pleased to see the coccinea form of Early Marsh Orchid (probably my favourite orchid). Back in the car park we looked at some low growing plants, Mossy Stonecrop, Subterranean Clover and Bird's-foot Clover, whilst also finding a Fallen's Leatherbug and lots of Nysius species, probably N. huttoni.

Before leaving I found a Scaeva selenetica hoverfly and some Cavariella theobaldi aphids on Wild Parsnip.

WEST NORFOLK: Snettisham C.P. - Great Reed Warbler & interesting inverts

Late May 2022 

I had planned to spend a day in west Norfolk around Whitsun to look for the scarce hoverfly Microdon devius (in turn because I hadn't got round to it last year!), but with showers forecast and having not seen a new bird for several years I decided to change plans and head instead to Snettisham C.P. where a long-staying Great Reed Warbler was in residence. Arriving at the car park I almost instantly heard Turtle Doves calling, which was a nice start to the visit. I cut across an area of scrub, noting some aphids and the psyllid Cacopsylla hippophaes on the Sea Buckthorn. 

After quite a long walk along the embankment I reached the place where the Great Reed Warbler was singing from. There was only one other birder present, and the bird showed brilliantly perched near the top of the reeds as it belted out its song. Cutting back down onto the country park I noticed the aphid Brachycaudus tragopogonis on Goatsbeard.

Next I checked out the edges of some brackish pools, noting Saltmarsh Rush, Sea Club Rush and False Fox Sedge.

I spent lunchtime along the seaward side of the dunes. I spent some time looking at patches of Marram hoping to find the Marram Pseudoscorpion, and Stork's-bill for another one of my target species, Dalman's Leatherbug. I found neither, but did see plenty of bugs Trapezonotus sp (based on habitat T. arenarius), the beetle Phylan gibbus, spider Xerolycosa miniata and Fallen's Leatherbug.

I finished my visit by checking Viper's Bugloss plants for larvae of a case-bearing moth, but ended up finding an adult of a different species, Bugloss Bent-wing, Tinagma ocnerostomella.