Since my last garden wildlife update (see below July 21st) Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) has been present on several occasions. A single darter was present in the back garden on Aug 10th. On the 17th a pair were in tandem flight in the front garden, shortly afterwards an individual perched on the hardy fuchsia, provided plenty of opportunity for photography. Suggesting three may have been present?
Common Darter 10th August
Common Darter 17th August
On the 23rd of August, a Common Darter was in the back garden.
Common Darter 23rd August
Today, the sightings went to another level, initially a single male Common Darter was staking out New Pond, as the morning progressed a second male appeared and much territorial posturing followed, with neither male giving ground.
I was then completely thrilled when two other Common Darters appeared, one all but briefly, the second was a female and mating and egg-laying quickly took place with one of the attendant males. I managed to capture some terrible video footage of the pair in tandem (and the second male), which I am more than happy to share!
Other recent highlights include a Median Wasp (Dolichovespula media) photographed on the 10th of August and a Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) which was present on the 15th of August. Singles of Convolvulus Hawk-moth (Agrius convolvuli) and Portland Ribbon Wave (Idaea degeneraria) to 25W Blacklight on the night of 26th August. All four species being “new for garden” (NFG).
Median Wasp
Convolvulus Hawk-moth
Portland Ribbon Wave
Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar
On the 12th of August, our neighbour knocked the door and presented us with an Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) caterpillar – the first time that we have ever seen the larval stage of this species.
Humming-bird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) has been present almost daily with a maximum count of three on the 31st of August – with both Red Valerian (Valeriana rubra) and our neighbour’s Buddleja davidii providing plenty of nectar to attract this species along with a host of bees and butterflies.
R & L kindy picked us up from Sidmouth Festival to take us to Branscombe Beach to find Wood White and Purple Gromwell (Aegonychon purpureocaeruleum). We saw both, although the latter was not found in flower.
On a team-building day at Pagham Harbour, my colleague found this dead Short-snouted Seahorse on the shingle at Church Norton. Never seen this species in life, shame my first was deceased. However, still a great find!
Odonata sightings have continued throughout this last
period, with both Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum), and Blue-tailed
Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) making one day only appearances on the 18th
and 19th of July, respectively.
Common Darter
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Also, on the 18th Emperor Dragonfly (Anax
imperator) made it on to the garden list when I observed a single male flying
over the wildflower lawn. The visit was short-lived, and the dragonfly has not reappeared
again since then.
On the 21st of July when carefully cleaning green
algae from New Pond provided an opportunity to observe both damselfly nymphs
and a dragonfly nymph cast.
Damselfly nymph
Dragonfly nymph exuvia
Other recent and interesting additions to the garden list have included two stonking flies. The Banded General (Stratiomys potamida) on the 26th of June, and Dark Giant Horsefly (Tabanus sudeticus)
on the 13th of July.
This month has seen two new Odonata species added to the garden list – bringing the total to six species recorded to date.
On the 2nd a single Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) was hawking over the grassland – and by the 11th at least four individuals were present comprising two pairs in cop. on both New Pond and Bucket Pond respectively.
An immature Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) spent the 14th patrolling the three small ponds and roosting at length on a bamboo cane standing in a nearby flowerpot. Early in the morning a teneral Large Red was drying out on the Japanese Maple (Acer cultivar) behind New Pond and later three full coloured Large Reds were present incl. a pair in cop.
The following day I found three Large Red exuvia attached to the Slender Clubrush (Isolepsis cernua) in New Pond.
Having returned from our Norway trip yesterday, I spent most of today in the back garden and saw another pair of Large Red in cop. I searched for more exuvia across all three ponds but did not find any.
