Oaks (Quercus robur) in the autumn sunshine











One or two of the old Sallows had good collections pf epiphytes.

Including

Wood Bristle-moss, Lateral Cryphaea, Dilated Scalewort, Minute Pouncewort & Syntrichia papillosa



Dilated Scalewort (Frullenia dilatata)





Wood Bristle-moss (Lewinskya affine) growing around the Hawthorn ( Crataegus monogyna) branches



Lateral Cryphaea (Cryphaea heteromalla)





Minute Pouncewort (Myriocoleopsis minutissima)





Lesser Pond Sedge (Carex acutiformis)









British White Cows working to create a more diverse environment.



Cowpat Gem (Chelymenia granulata)





Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)



Cylindric Beard-moss (Didymodon insulanus)

&
dried











Fungus Sp?



Perforate St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)



Common Knapweed ( Centaurea nigra)





White-tipped Bristle-moss (Orthotrichum diaphanum)

The white tips at the end of the leaves give this one away. Grows on tress and stone



A small moss with a big name.

Hornschuch's Beard-moss (Pseudocrossidium hornschuchianum)

Named after a German bryologist Christian Friedrich Hornschuch 1793- 1850



Lots of this moss in the wet grassland.

Heart-leaved Spear-moss (Calliergon cordifolium)



The small red fungus sp?





X100

MarshThyme-moss (Plagiomnium ellipticum)?

Cells in diagonal rows and the leaf base does not run down the stem.



Large Willow Bark Aphid (Tuberolachnus salignus)

Tags: CowpatGem, DilatedScalewort, WoodBristle-moss, White-tippedBristle-moss, CylindricBeard-moss, MarshThyme-moss, LateralCryphaea, Oak, WildCarrot, MinutePouncewort, PerforateStJohn'sWort, CommonKnapweed, Hornschuch'sBeard-moss

Leafcutter Sp (Megachile Sp)

From the Bee Guide

There are long erect or semi erect hairs over much of the surface of tergite 6

Very clear in the low image
Pollen Brush black-haired apically
Head not conspicuously black-haired
Tergites 3-5 with pale hair bands.

Leads to

Willoughby's Leaf-cutter Bee (Megachile willoughbiella)



Oak (Quercus robur) Acorn



Wall Mason Wasp (Ancistrocerus parietinus)



Box Bug (Gonocerus acuteangulatus)





Deraeocoris ruber



Orthops campestris







Rough Chervil (Chaerophyllum temulum)



Dark Bush-cricket (Pholodoptera griseoaptera)



♂︎



♀︎

Phantom Cranefly Sp

Pond Strong-mark Foldwing (Ptychoptera contaminata)



Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) ♂︎



Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum)



Tachina fera







Gall on Upright Hedge Parsley (Torilis japonica)

Keifferia pericarpiicola



Dicranopalpus Agg on an Ivy (Hedera helix) leaf



Helophilus pendulus ♂︎



Hop (Humulus lupulus) flowers





Volucella inanis



?





Whitebeam?





Large-headed Resin Bee (Heriades truncourm)





Four-banded Longhorn Beetle (Leptura quadrifasciata)



?



Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) Finla instar



Speckled Bush-cricket (Leptophyes punctatissima)





Mildew on Spindle (Euonymus europaeus) Leaf



Water Dock (Rumex hydrolapatham) Fruit



Willow Emerald (Chalcostes viridis)





Volucella zonaria

Tags: LeafcutterSp, Oak, WallMasonWasp, BoxBug, MiridBugSps, RoughChervil, Large-headedResinBee, Four-bandedLonghornBeetle, CommonGreenShieldbug, SpeckledBush-cricket, MildewSP, WaterDock, WillowEmerald, Volucellazonaria, Volucellainanis, DicranopalpusAgg, Helophiluspendulus, Hop, PhantomCraneflySp, CommonDronefly, Strip-facedDronefly, TachinaFera, HedgeParsleyGall, DarkBush-cricket

Oak (Quercus robur)





Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)





Powdery Mildew
on
Alder

Erysiphe penicillata

You can just about see it.





Leiobonum rotundum





Aceria aceriscampestris is a mite that causes galls to form on Field Maple (Acer campestris)





Bronze Shieldbug ? (Troilus luridus) Mid Instar Nymph



















The

Exqusite

Alder Moth Caterpillar (Acronicta alni)





Wild snow

Angelica (Angelica archangelica) flowers



On Aspen?



?





False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum)







Blackberry Leaf Midge

The larvae of the Blackberry Leaf Midge (Dasineura plicatrix) cause galls to form on Bramble.
The young leaf is creased, pleated or buckled with thickened veins.
The larvae are present in the creases briefly in late spring and early summer.

from
Naturespot



Roesel's bush-cricket (Roeseliana roeselli)



Choke (Epichloe Sp) on Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata)



Cock's-foot grass (Dactylis glomerata)











Common Dewberry (Rubus caesius)





Dock Sp







Dock Sp



A gall midge Dasineura pustulans causes this kind of gall on Meadowsweet



Gall on Meadowsweet

The larva of the Gall Midge Dasineura ulmaria causes gall to form on Meadosweet (Filipendula ulmaria)





Meadowsweet Rust?





Ergot (Claviceps purpureus) on False oat-grass (Arrhenatherum elatius)

From Botany in Scotland



False Fox-sedge (Carex otrubae)



Powdery Mildew

Whitish covering on the leaves of Field Maple (Acer campestre)

Sawadaea bicornis



Fungus Sp?



Galls of the Gall Midge (Harmandiola tremulae) on the upper side of an Aspen Leaf ?



This is caused by the Gall Mite Aceria tenuis

Grass Sp?









Harvestmen Sp

Dicranopalpus ramosus agg



Hazel (Corylus avellana) nuts.





Upright Hedge Parsley (Torilis japonica) flower head.

The following images show various Chequered Hoverflies (Melanostoma scalare) that were seen hanging from the grass False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum ) at a height of about a metre from the ground.

Also of two attached to Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria)

They had all been infected by an Entomophthoragic fungus





♂︎

Early stage of infection presumably.

Well and truly stuck and not moving.

The hoverfly looks pristine and wings have yet to open

On Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria)



♀︎

Early stage the hoverfly looks pristine and wings have yet to open. No movement.



The lower hoverfly actually flew off the one attached to the grass but presumably had been infected.



Very different stage.

The wings are open and you can see the spores beginning to cover the insect.







A much more advanced state. The hovers are well and truly adhered to the plant. The insects have reached about a metre from the ground.

The wings are outstretched and the spores are pouring from their bodies.

On False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum)

The curious case of

epizootics

or

"The Zombies"

Entomophora fungal species

elicit dramatic behaviours in infected hosts
to
promote optimal spore dispersion

The genus Entomophthora:bringing the insect destroyers into the twenty-first century.

The images above show examples of infected hosts that have climbed the plants ('summiting disease') to give the fungus the best chance of spore dispersal.

When the proboscis touches the plant it adheres and thus effectively glues the hoverfly in place.

The wings will eventually raise up away from the dorsal abdomen

The legs have grasped the plant as well.

in this case

The Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalere)

Largely females but at least one male was found.

For more detailed information about the possible processes in play the article linked to above is a good summary.



Lesser Water Parsnip (Berula erecta)







Red-brown Longhorn Beetle (Stictoleptura rubra)



Timothy Grass (Phleum pratense)



Possibly Glandular Dog-rose (Rosa squarrosa)?

Glandular hairs on leaf tips and on stem. Leaves biserrate





A powdery mildew sp

Podosphaera pannosa





Heath Wood Rush (Luzula multiflora subsp congesta)?



Rush Sp - Smooth Rush? (Juncus effusus) in flower





Glaucous Sedge (Carex flacca)



Ferruginous Bee-grabber (Sicus ferrigineus)





New Forest Shieldbug (Eysarcoris aeneus) ?

Late instar



Anther-smut (Microbotryum silene dioicae) on Red Campion (Silene dioica)





Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)





Long-jawed Orb weaver Sp (Tetragnatha Sp) & prey



Yellow-faced Bee Sp (Hylaeus Sp) Just didn't turn round

Tags: AlderMoth, Landscape, Oak, Ash, LesserWaterParsnip, Red-brownLonghornBeetle, Erysiphepenicillata, Sawadaeabicornis, Hazel, ChequeredHoverfly, UprightHedgeParsley, TimothyGrass, HeathWoodRush, GlaucousSedge, Silver-washedFritillary, Long-jawedOrbWeaverSp, Yellow-facedBeeSp, FerruginousBeeGrabber, Aceriatenuis, Harmandiolatremulae, FalseFoxSedge, NewforestShieldBug, AntherSmut, Cocksfoot, Ergot