Common Wall Mosses

Tortula muralis, Wall Screw-moss.  On a wall on Station Hill, Hayes, 2 March 2016.

There are some pretty mossed on the low walls near my house.  These are all common mosses, and it was interesting to see the differences in general appearance and the types of their spore capsules.

They all have names in the vernacular, but these cannot really be called "common" names because they were all invented very recently and no-one actually knows them without looking them up in a book.  It's generally safer to stick to the scientific names.  But I have included the vernacular names anyway, mostly because I hae looked them up!

These mosses mostly grow in the cracks between the bricks or stones.  This might be because they like the alkaline mortar, or because they find water is retained better there, or both.

Bryum capillare, Capillary Thead-moss. On a wall on Station Hill, Hayes, 2 March 2016.

Ypu can see that the capsules on this moss are very different to the first.  That helps a lot in identification!  They tend to grow close together or even mixed up, and here you can see two small clumps of a third type of moss, one that keeps its capsules on low stems that curve back into the greenery.  Here's a larger clump of that one:

Grimmia pulvinata, Grey-cushioned Grimmia.  On a low brick wall on Bourne Way, Hayes.  17 February 2016.

I think the name inventors were running out of steam when they got to this one.  Anyway, you can see that it does actually make a greyish cushion, specially when it is a bit dry.  You can only just see the capsules nestling in with the leaves.

Brachythecium rutabulum, Rough-stalked Feather-moss.  On a low brick wall on Bourne Way, Hayes.  16 February 2016.

This one has quite a different style, with distinct branching stems.  The capsules are already dry.  I would expect a moss like this to need a wetter environment, as it can't ball up into a protective clump when it dries out, and doesn't have an outer layer of bristles, which help maintain a moist microclimate as well as attracting dew.  There are more mosses with this style of growth in the nearby woods, and I'll show a couple next time.

Mixed Trap Insects from 2015

Nut Weevil, Curculio species.  In my garden light trap in Hayes on 13 August 2015

All sorts of insects that can fly end up in my garden light trap.  You would not think that this weevil could fly by just looking at it, but it certainly can.  It's probably an Acorn Weevil, but there are a few other nut weevils that look very similar.

Beetle, Dromius quadrimaculatus.  In my garden light trap in Hayes on 9 August 2015

Beetles in general can fly.  I saw a few of this small spotted one.  Their wings are protected by the tough wing cases, which are normally all you can see.

Hawthorn Shieldbug, Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale.  In my garden light trap in Hayes on 13 June 2015

This is a true bug, from a group called shield bugs or stink bugs.  It has sucking mouthparts and this one lives on Hawthorns.  I have a couple of hawthorns in my tiny garden so I see quite a few of these.  Bugs are a type of beetle, and in this group you can see the ends of the wings, which are not completely covered by the wing cases.

Orange Ladybird, Halyzia sedecimguttata.   In my garden light trap in Hayes on 18 June 2015

I also see plenty of ladybirds, including my favourite, this Orange Ladybird.  I like the generally translucent appearance, and the way the white and yellow spots are clearly on the top surface of the transparent shell, looking as though they have been dotted on with a paintbrush.  They feed on mildew and sometimes small aphids, so should be encouraged.

Leafhopper, Ledra aurita.  In my garden light trap in Hayes on 23 August 2015

I also see leafhoppers, another group that sucks plant sap.  This Ledra aurita is the oddest-looking one, with those big projections on its thorax that make it look like a tiny dinosaur.

Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria.  In my garden light trap in Hayes on 13 July 2015

This was my biggest surprise of the year - a Speckled Wood butterfly!  I set my trap before it gets dark, so maybe it flew in during the last of the twilight.  But a butterfly attracted to light?  That sounds wrong.  Yet I did see another butterfly come to a light trap at night when out with some mothers on Keston Common.  That was a very bright light trap.  It's unusual, but not unheard of. 

More flies from 2015

Fly, family Muscidae.  In my light trap in Hayes on 25 August 2015

Some flies from my garden light trap.  I'm not that good at identifying flies, but this one looks to me like something from the family Muscidae.   They look a lot more bristly and unapproachable in closeup than when they are flying around, not that you'd probably want to approach them too closely anyway.

In this photo you can see one of the halteres quite clearly.  It's the yellow projection just under the root of the wing.  Flies have only one pair of wings (whereas wasps and bees have two), and in place of the second pair are these counterweights on the end of stalks, which vibrate in such a way as to offset the movement of the wings and thus smooth out the creature's flight.

Cranely, family Tipulidae.  In my light trap in Hayes on 5 October 2015

 Craneflies have big long wings that need big long stalks on their halteres to make them an effective counterbalance.

Hoverfly, Syrphus vitripennis.  In my light trap in Hayes on 15 September 2015

However much a hoverfly might look like a wasp or a bee, those stripes are all bluff.  If you can see the halteres you know it's a fly, and flies don't sting.  (But some of them will try to suck your blood, which is nearly as bad.  Hoverflies do not do this.)

Broad Centurion, Chloromyia formosa. In my light trap in Hayes on 18 June 2015.

Here are two quite pretty iridescent green flies. Like many shiny insects, they are actually quite hairy when seen close to.  Soldier flies probably got their common name from this shiny appearance.  It could not be from their behaviour.  They feed on nectar and are often rather inactive.

Soldier Fly, probably Dull Four-spined Legionnaire, Chorisops tibialis. In my light trap in Hayes on 18 June 2015.

This second one has four spines radiating from the back of the plate over its thorax.  There are two very similar species and it's pretty much a guess on my part which one this is.

Finally ..

Flat-footed Fly, Opetia nigra.  Female.   In my garden light trap in Hayes on 13 August 2015

Much to my surprise, this photo caused something of a stir among fly experts.  I was informed that there is only one other photo of a living female specimen on the web (though now there is more than one of this particular specimen).  So now I'm glad I took this shot, which was just an offhand one-handed snap of a fly sitting on the light bar of my trap as I picked it up in the morning, to get at the moths inside.  I will watch out for more of these next year!

Although it's called a Flat-footed Fly, when I looked it up I found that it is the only member of its genus which does not actually have flat feet. 

Wasps from 2015

Hornet, Vespa crabro.  West Wickham Common light trap, 11 September 2015

Now for some wasps found in my moth traps in 2015.  The first photo is a magnificent hornet, all honey tones and aggressive stance.  Look at those mandibles!  I think that's a moth wing scale sticking to one of them.  Luckily, it was not very lively first thing in the morning.

Common Wasp, Vespula vulgaris.  Hayes light trap, 11 August 2015.

If you compare it with this common wasp, you can see that this has the same basic body plan, but differs in coloration and patterning.  The common wasp is also much smaller, but can turn up in the trap in large groups.

Ichneumon wasp, Ophion luteus.  West Wickham Common light trap, 11 September 2015.

Ichneumon wasps look quite different.  They are parasitic, laying their eggs usually in the larvae of other insects.  There are 1200 species of ichneumons in the UK alone, of various sizes and colours.  This one is quite large.

Male ichneumon wasp.  Hayes light trap, 6 June 2015.

Here's a smaller ichneumon which I wasn't able to identify.  You can tell it's a male because it does not have a long ovipositor.

Chalcid wasp.  Hayes light trap, 21 July 2015.

That's the sort of thing I mean.  This very small wasp is a female.  This group of wasps lay their eggs on the larvae of gall wasps, and the ovipositor has to get through the quite thick shell of the gall.  There are so many parasitic wasps ... and wasps turn up all the time in light traps.  One moth trapper used to collect all the tiny wasps that came along for a friend who was a wasp man.

Wasp.  Hayes light trap, 21 July 2015.

Finally, a wasp I was not able to identify at all, but it's a smart-looking creature, don't you think?

Random Wisley Butterflies

Butterfly, Great Eggfly, Hypolimnas bolina, on orchid flower.
Butterflies in the Glasshouse at RHS Wisley, 26 January 2016.

Just a few more random butterfly photos from RHS Wisley's Butterflies in the Glasshouse display.  The butterfly above is resting on a magnificent orchid flower, which was not labelled.

Butterfly, Great Orange Tip, Hebomoia glaucippe, on red flower.
Butterflies in the Glasshouse at RHS Wisley, 26 January 2016.

This orange-tipped one is on a red flower, also unlabelled.

Butterfly, Zebra Longwing, Heliconius charithonia.   Butterflies in the Glasshouse at RHS Wisley, 26 January 2016.

The stripes o the wings of this butterfly have the effect of breaking up its outline in its normal environment.

Owl butterfly, Caligo memnon, just emerged from its chrysalis in the puparium.   Butterflies in the Glasshouse at RHS Wisley, 26 January 2016.

Just outside the main glasshouse were a couple of closed glass-fronted containers where pupae were hung ready for the adults to emerge.  The glass has lots of condensation, but you can see that this one is an Owl.

(Added Nov 2016:  Top three butterflies identified by the commenter SPock - thanks!)

Non-Moths of 2015 - Ants

Ant, winged female.  Subfamily Formicinae.  In my garden light trap in Hayes on 22 August 2015

Just two photos this time, but interesting ones.  These are ants that turned up in my garden light trap on consecutive nights in August.

Late in the summer, ant nests come to a climax, and on a day when the weather is suitable they send out hundreds of winged males and females.  It should be a warm day with no strong wind and usually a light overcast.  On a really good day, sometimes you can see swarms of ants flying over pavements, where they have made their nests in the sand used to bed down the flagstones.

When they have met and mated, the males die and the females drop their wings and find a place to set up a nest for the next year.

People don't usually think of ants as being winged insects - which is reasonable, because most of them don't have wings.

These two have clearly not mated during their nuptial flight, because they still have their wings the next morning after a night resting in the trap.

Ant, winged female.  Subfamily Myrmicinae.  In my garden light trap in Hayes on 23 August 2015

You can see that although they are obviously ants, they look quite different from each other.  One is smooth and brown, and the other is smaller, wrinkled and reddish.  They belong in different sub-families.

Orchids at Wisley 2016

Rossioglossum grande.  RHS Wisley, 26 January 2016.

While I was at Wisley RHS gardens looking at the exotic butterflies with my friend, I took some photos of orchids.  These are in a small area next to the hot section of the glasshouse, and are always worth a look.

Phragmipedium besseae.  RHS Wisley, 26 January 2016.

Some of them are typical examples of what people think of as orchids, others less so.  All of them are showy, usually a lot more so than our native species.

Paphiopedilum x leeanum.  RHS Wisley, 26 January 2016.

Luckily, they are all labelled with their names.  Many are species, but also, many are hybrids, often artificially bred in a hothouse environment.

Zygopetalum Warringa Wonder gx.  RHS Wisley, 26 January 2016.

The "gx" in the name is short for grex, a word which is used to indicate that the orchid in question is such a horticultural hybrid.  This one was particularly impressive, and I took the photo against the light, which streamed through and illuminated those mauve-striped white petals.  (Pity the background is a bit fussy.)

I also noticed, scattered through the hothouses, many different Streptocarpus and other Gesneriads.  This one was intriguing.

Unidentified Gesneriad.  RHS Wisley, 26 January 2016.

It has little succulent leaves in rosettes.  It wasn't labelled, but the flower is a family Gesneriaceae flower type.  It was in a crack between stones in the side wall, not far from some actual Streptocarpus.  I'd like to grow one if I could identify it!