Early May 2022
On my walk back from Catton Park I noticed a hedge that appeared to be flecked with tiny insects. Upon closer inspection they were clearly psyllids, but not one that I recognised. Fortunately (and unlike many of them) the wing pattern was quite distinctive and I was able to identify them as the non-native species Eleagnus Sucker, Cacopsylla fulguralis.
Early May 2022
Whilst at Thorpe Marshes I had spoken to Susan Weeks, who had told me that she was once again seen Rose Chafers in north Norwich around the Catton Park area, so on a sunny afternoon I headed down for a quick look. In the end I didn't even get round to the area where the Chafers had been seen because there was a great patch of Alexanders under some Oak trees that was covered with insects. Beetles were the order of the day, with including Deathwatch Beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum), the weevil Curculio glandium, a cylindrical bark beetle Bitoma crenata and a smallc arabid Badister bullatus.
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Early May 2022
My first visit to Thorpe Marshes of the spring was probably most notable for bumping into a handful of people I'd not seen for a while, notably Chris, Susan, Ann and Stuart. I was hoping that some showers would pass through and bring some hirundines, and this did indeed happen, bringing my first Sand Martins of the year. Unfortunately for me the rain then got harder and I got completely soaked. Before I crossed the bridge I noticed a Mottled Umber moth caterpillar and an aphid parasitised by a Praon-type wasp. The damp weather meant not many insects about on the marsh, but Dock leaves with Puccinia phragmitis clustercups on are always nice to see, and I spent a delightful few minutes only a few feet away from a Grey Heron.
Late April 2022
With a couple of hours free I decided to visit Ringland Church Hill Common, a known site for a moth I'd not seen before called the Bluebell Conch. The common itself turned out to be an interesting place, with a centre of short grassland surrounded by a belt of deciduous woodland (albeit something of an island in a sea of agricultural land). It took a little while to find the largest area of Bluebells, by which time the weather had become rather overcast, and with the time to return to Norwich approaching it was disappointing but not a great surprise that I didn't see my target moth. I did see a new harvestmen and cranefly (Platybunus triangularis and Limonia nubecolsa respectively). Probably the most interesting theig I found was on my way back to the church. I saw a black mass on Garlic Mustard and from a distance wondered if it was a smut. It turned out to be a cluster of Grenade Aphids, Lipaphis alliariae, which based on the Influential Points account seems like a good find.
Late April 2022
I took an early morning walk around Marriot's Way as far as Sweetbriar Marshes, which was very pleasant. I saw quite a few interesting bits and bobs, including a psyllid on Hawthorn (Cacopsylla melanoneura or C. affinis), a new caddisfly Notidobia ciliaris and a leaf-curl gall on Bird Cherry made and occupied by Rhopalosiphum padi aphids.
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Mid-April 2022
Earlier in the month Ian Senior had sent me pictures of some Lesser Celandines infected by something that I recognised as the Oomycete Peronospora ficariae. I decided to go and have a look, and whilst there also had a look for another of Ian's finds, Grape Hyacinth Anther Smut (Antherospora hortensis). Along the main drive several Early Dog Violets had Violet Rust, Puccinia violae on them. Seeing quite a lot of Field Wood-rush I checked that too, eventually finding the rust Puccinia obscurata on some of the leaves.
Mid-April 2022
A rather disappointing April WeBS count, with no hirundines present and lots of the winter wildfowl now absent. I did read a few new Mute Swan colour rings and saw three on nests. Around the broad Willow Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats had joined the Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. Quite a few inverterates were noted, the highlight of which was the sawfly Euura clitellata.
