The unusual record was a mayfly called Ecdyonurus torrentis, this individual was trying to lay eggs on our wet patio (see photo BUT this is not the actual insect I saw, this one is a male of the species).
Male Brook Dun Spinner – Ecdyonurus torrentis
How it got to our garden I can only guess, the river is only about half a mile away as the mayfly flies but it is certainly not in line of sight and mayflies are not the strongest of flyers. Having said that who am I to try and second guess one the most successful types of flying insect that this planet has ever seen, having been around for over 300 million years. Bye for now, Lynn and Stuart
A request for help with the Barnsley Butterfly Atlas …
Following a suggestion from Alwyn, a trustee of the Barnsley Biodiversity Trust, the Barnsley Butterfly Atlas project was launched in May 2017 by Sorby Natural History Society and Barnsley Biological Record Centre, with support from the Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership. The project aims to map the distribution of all the butterfly species found across the area of the borough of Barnsley in the 20 year period from 2000 to 2020. [Perhaps with the lockdown we need an extra year?]
So now we are asked to contribute our records of butterfly sightings … from our usual patch or perhaps somewhere different that has not been recorded so much before.
To get the ball rolling, here are some butterfly records from Peter and Annefie’s walk on Saturday … Date: Saturday 2 May 2020 Location: Falthwaite & Lowe Wood LWS Comment: On Wild Garlic and other flowering plants near Stainborough Dike Grid Reference: 4-figure /1km square: SE3103 [Six-figure reference: from SE318039 to SE314039] Observer: Peter and Annefie Roberts Species: Brimstone (2), Comma (1), Holly Blue (1), Orange-tip (Males & Females, numerous), Small White (numerous), Speckled wood (1).
We will send them to Barnsley Biological Record Centre (BBRC): [email protected]. [Note the change of email address during the lockdown]
Barnsley Nats posts on both twitter [and more occasionally facebook]. You can see what we post, ‘retweet’ and ‘like’ on our social media page.
A twitter post tagged @Barnsley_Nats with an image to identify recently had us thinking. Kent and Doug agreed it was a type of ichneumon wasp. However these are notoriously difficult to id at species level without using a microscope …
We regret that the meetings on the Barnsley Nats programme for Wednesday 18 March, 1 April and 22 April will not take place; and field visits are suspended. In the meantime look out for shared news and information. It’s a result of the escalation in the Covid-19 virus situation and government advice.
