A wonderful couple of days (Day 2).
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| Hornets (Vespa crabro). |
The first task of the morning was to sort out the Moth trap which we had set up the previous evening. The first obvious problem was a number of
Hornets (Vespa crabro) had been attracted into the light along with the many moths. Luckily they were all pretty dosile and did not take much sorting out, Clive fished them out with a stick and placed them in some vegitation.
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The moths included
Egyptian Bollworm (Earias insulana),
Cymbalophora pudica,
Menophora japygiaria,
The Four-spotted (Tyta luctuosa),
The Vestal (Rhodometra sacraria),
Small Mottled Willows (Spodoptera exigua),
Palpita unionalis-vitrealis,
Small Blood-vein (Scopula imitaria) and many more. Also attracted to the the light and found in a bush to the side was an
African Mantis (Sphodromantis viridis) easily Identified by the pale spot on the wing and by a run of yellow lines on the upper leg.
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| African Mantis (Sphodromantis viridis). |
We then had breakfast and relaxed around the garden table again. Jayne had a good wonder around Clive's veg patch and picked his brains about several plants and I walked up and down the drive way pushing Sam in his pushchair trying to get this highly alert young chap to sleep. On the many trips I picked up another
Western Spectre (Boyeria irene),
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major),
Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecola) and several large groups of
Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus). A
Brimstone Butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) then gave me the run around on the large Rosemary bushes that are next to the house but I eventually got a couple of shots.
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| Brimstone Butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni). |
We then sat down at the table for lunch and whilst we were there a male
Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotraustes) sat out in a dead tree for a while and then dived for cover. After lunch we loaded the car with a pool liner, several plants and a load of Clive and Sue's home grown garden produce (thank you), said our goodbyes and headed off home.
2 comments:
Hi,
Did you roast the squashes in the oven yet? The hornets are less and less now as the cold weather finishes them off... Sue wrote an article about them you can see it in the creepy crawlies section bees and wasps category at ....www.wildsideholidays.com/natural
Hi Sue, Clive and Sam.
Yes the squashes have been roasted, Souped and eaten via various other methods and all were very good, still have four left but they look so good on the shelf that it's a shame to eat them. Thanks Mick.
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