Saturday 16th.August 2008

Breezy and sunny intervals meant not really a butterfly day , and sure enough , that's how it worked out on the Common . Not a sign of movement inthe Ash tree , apart from the swaying of the branches . But while I was there , I had a look on the adjacent Oaks , and found about 20 Purple Hairstreak eggs , including the ones found previously . Also on the Oak leaves were many Spangle Galls , caused by the larvae of gall wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum - the Quercus again referring to Oak . The odd Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper , a single Common Blue , together with this Small Heath , tucked well down in the grass , were all the butterflies to be seen .

My attention was drawn to a movement in the grass , which turned out to be a Cricket , but I am having difficulty identifying it . Several are described as having a brown dorsal stripe , but they don't seem to match this one . Any ideas ?

On the heathland part of the Common , the heather is coming in to full flower , and the aroma is literally overpowering . I think every insect in the area has decended on the Heather patch , to feed on the nectar on offer . Also in this area , I found a day flying moth which comes over from the Continent in variable numbers each year . It is the Silver Y , and it's name is on it's wings .

Amongst the long grass , I found another Cricket , but this time I recognised the insect . It was

Roesel's Bush-cricket , identified by the cream U to the margin of the pronotum , and if you ever wondered what the underside of this particular Cricket looks like --

We look at butterflies and moths and think it's an easy life sitting in the sun and feeding on nectar , but sometimes , life is not so good , like when you get caught in a spider's web , and thenbecoming it's meal . That's what happened to this poor individual , well past the point of saving , and bottom line it is nature . Further along the path , I found out why there are so many Horse Flies about .