A Psyllid

 

There are not many major families of British insects of which I have never photographed a representative but when I found a Psyllid (one of the Jumping Plant Lice) on an Oak leaf at Thurstaston on 30th June it proved to be a first from that family. Which one it is I do not know though it may be a Trioza species..

Phlyctaenia coronata

 

I found a new garden inhabitant today - the micro-moth Phlyctaenia coronata (not the similar Phlyctaenia stachydalis).

Family: Crambidae, Subfamily: Pyraustinae.

Wingspan 22-26 mm.

Fairly common throughout England and Wales, and also Ireland, this easy to recognise species is often attracted to light.

The larvae feed on the young leaves of Elder (Sambucus nigra), Lilac (Syringa sp.) and Bindweed (Convolvulus sp.) all of which can be found in our garden. The adults can sometimes be disturbed during the day from the foodplant.

June to July is the main flight period, and the larvae hibernate during the winter, pupating in the spring.

Fieldfares & Redwings

Two new bird species were added to the garden list on 13th January as Fieldfares and Redwings came into the garden to drink at the ponds.

Pied Wagtail

The snow brought a Pied Wagtail to The Willows. A new bird for the garden species list.

Painted Lady

 

I have been lamenting the paucity of butterflies - both in numbers and variety - this summer. However, when I looked down the lists at the side of this blog I realised that the eleven species seen at The Willows didn't include the Painted Lady, a migrant which has been in the garden this summer. So the number of species seen in the garden since we moved in five years ago has risen to twelve.