Wednesday 7th.July 2010

I was on 'sick leave' from volunteering today , and the weather seemed in sympathy , as it remained cloudy and breezy for most of the day , but a bit of brightness after lunch was enough to make a visit to Spring Park pond .
Not that there was that much about , but the grass was alive with Grasshoppers and Crickets , and amongst them , good numbers of Roesel's Bush Cricket , identified by the cream edging to the pronotum , the saddle shaped plate behind the head . In the vegetation around the pond , a few newly emerged Common Darters were recorded . The tadpoles seemed to have found something of interest , out in the middle . The only flying Odonata were Broad Bodied Chasers , three males and a single female , looking very dull now . The vibrant powder blue of the males has gone too , but the dark line across the abdomen , just below the yellow spots , indicates that his offspring will be flying next year , the line made by the female holding on whilst they mated in flight . But , as one species is almost finished , another is just beginning . I found this Southern Hawker , still gripping it's exuvia , just before I left . As I did so , the Southern Hawker made it's maiden flight , upwards into the surrounding trees . On the way back to the car , lots of these small Bees , popping in and out of holes , mined in the ground . I believe they are Nomada species , possibly N.fulvicornis , but I'm not certain .