Phyllonorycter coryli and nicellii on Hazel

Now, at the start of July, there are quite a few of the first generation Phyllonorycter coryli (Nicelli) leaf mines in their early flat silvery stage are appearing on the upper side of the Hazel leaves. Sometimes there are multiple mines per leaf. The caterpillars seem quite small, a couple of mm long at this stage. It would probably be better to wait a couple of weeks to see if we can find some pupal cocoons in order to breed through. There may be some up-folding of the leaves already, and that somewhat darker more contracted stage of the mine surface is the one to wait for. These should fairly quickly metamorphose into the adult moths. Sadly I had no luck getting any adult moths out of these mines.

The caterpillars mine July and September-October, while the two generations of adult moths are May and August. By implication there should be a resting pupal stage from October through April. Presumably this is in the decaying leaves and then the litter on the forest floor. There should also be a brief pupal stage between July and August that is our target stage for collection. The pupae should be in cocoons in the opposite corner of the mines to the piles of frass.

There is also the significant possibility of accidentally collecting numbers of parasitoids instead of unparasitised pupae. It will be interesting to keep an eye out for Braconid and Ichneumonid wasps.

and a closer view:

and I did find just one possible example of Phyllonorycter nicellii (Stainton), the Red Hazel Midget, which mines the underside of the leaf. I think I was lucky to spot it, as I just saw the darkness of the leaf fold. I didn't think that it was necessarily typical, but it did clearly have the "nibbling" around the edge of the mine clearly visible on the upper surface of the leaf, so I doubt it was N. coryli. The species appears to have a similar life cycle timing to Phyllonorycter coryli, and I found a few more over the following weeks, but this is still very much the minority species in this particular wood.

The NBN atlas claims that "the mine [of Phyllonorycter nicelli] is usually between two side veins. The pupa is formed in a white cocoon in a corner of the mine. It is attached to both the roof and the floor of the mine. The frass is deposited in an opposite corner." This mine was on the edge of the leaf, so that the margin of the leaf rolled down and in, unlike the common depictions of the mine as arching up between two leaf veins, with the axis of the mine leading away from the midvein. Almost all the other mines I detected were of the more typical form described.

Again there are multiple Chalcid and Ichneumonid parasitoids recorded.

This is a more typically shaped mine for Phyllonorycter nicellii, photographed a few days later on the 5th. Note that the tent is in great condition, with multiple browner creases, typical of the Phyllonorycter genus and of this species, so I am fairly confident about the ID.

and this is the upperside of the leaf showing the shape of the mine more clearly and the significant upfolding of the leaf together with the apparently typical "edge of the mine" nibbling. The nibbling can however also be seen apparently in the (usually smaller, squarer?) mines of Parornix devoniella.

Hoary Ragwort, Senecio erucifolius

This was a tentative ID, impossible to definitely confirm, on a plant on the path in the meadow on the path leading down to East Lock.

Pointed lobes on the stem leaves at least and quite cottony on the underside of the leaves suggested this ID.

Most importantly, the outer bracts are nearly half as long as the long inner bracts, not less than a quarter, so definitely Hoary Ragwort!

The flowers however seemed a golden yellow (at least when drying out) rather than a clear pale yellow, so PERHAPS this might indicate that it could be Common Ragwort yet again - I just don't believe that this is a good indicator.

Geranium species

I looked at the Geranium species along the Access trail which I think I had classified as G. dissectum in the past. I toyed today with this ID, thinking this plant to be G. columbinum, the long stalked cranesbill. However a quick use of the hand-lens indicated glandular hairs on the old style at least. The fruits are also hairy.

There is also plenty of G. dissectum around already - its extremely common as an arable field weed in the Oil Seed Rape fields on the Fairlawne Estate, where I feel it presents very differently.

Winter Cress, Barbarea

The Fairlawne field just before the Cricket Bat Willow plantation has thousands of a Barbarea plant on it, about 25 - 30 cm high.

The fruit \are curved initially but appear to straighten up and also become more appressed when mature.

The styles may lengthen slightly as the fruit mature, but the longest one I measured was still no more than 2 mm long. Equally the longest fruit I have measured so far was no more than 40 mm, (4 cm).The pedicel was stou, definitely not more slender than the fruits themselves.

The flowers were about 5 mm when measured across, with the petals about twice the length of the sepals,

The uppermost leaves were quite lobed at the base, so it is unlikely to be B. vulgaris or B. stricta.

The leaves tasted quite sour, so it is unlikely to be B. verna.

Crepis vesicaria var. taraxacifolia. The Beaked Hawkweed.

Ecology: A usually biennial herb, sometimes annual or perennial, of lightly mown or grazed grassland on roadsides, lawns, railway banks and in waste places. Lowland.

Status: Neophyte

Trends: In Britain, this species was first recorded in 1713 in Kent. It spread rapidly, reaching the west coast of Ireland in 1896. It is now the commonest yellow composite in flower on roadsides in S. Britain and S. Ireland in May. It has failed to spread far into N. England, and the first authentic record from Co. Durham was not made until 1951. There are many more records in W. England, Wales and Ireland than in the 1962 Atlas.

World Distribution: Native of the Mediterranean region and S.W. Asia.

Found on the A26 verge opposite the college entrance. Look for the basal purple flushing, the orange striping on the outside of the petals, and the general downiness of the plant.

Silverleaf fruit bodies possibly

On a small log by the old farmhouse moat, Fairlawne land.

Andrena sp burrow

Amazing burrow of one of the mining bees, Andrena sp. Found in their 100s on the path surface on Fairlawne land.