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.

NORWICH: Mid May periwinkle fungi

Mid May 2021

The highlight of this weeks wanderings was to finally catch up with Subterranean Clover growing in Earlham Cemetery. Having initially walked past a large patch of it, Ian Senior was able to point out that I had almost been standing on a patch. Closer to the city I noticed some Greater Periwinkle with fungi on the leaves, which turned out to be a whole community of a mildew, Golvinomyces vincae, a rust Puccinia vincae and a parasitic fungus growing on the rust, Tuberculina sbrozzii. 

 

A couple of aphids were also of interest, Acyrthosiphon pisum on Broom and Callipterinella calliptera on Birch.