Rainfall: 64.7 mm

Temp High: 29.5^oC on 31st

Temp Low: -1.6^oC on 7th

Temp Average: 11.2^oC

I found a small caterpillar on some hawthorn that we brought into the house. This is a new species recorded for the garden. Small caterpillar, giant name; Paraswammerdamia nebulella.

I went on an excursion to see the bog fritillary butterfly a short distance away. There were a lot flying despite the windy weather. We visited a few other potential sites but didn't find the species anywhere else although we did find some interesting plants.

This red squirrel was posing on our cottage garden fence.

A new garden species of weevil, Anthonomus rectirostris, landed on my arm. This was while I was sitting under a bird-cherry and this is a pest of all prunus species, so it makes sense.

The early bumblebee was enjoying the water avens again today.

I decided to cut open one of the wasp spider egg sacs I collected last year. It appears that the eggs have hatched, so maybe I missed the dispersal.

Lastly today, I wanted to photograph the tau emperor caterpillars that hatched earlier this week. All 8 eggs hatched and all 8 caterpillars seem to be thriving. It's interesting that they all rest aligned with the veins in the beech leaves, presumably for camouflage.

It's still not very warm at the moment. In fact the temperature fell to -0.6^oC overnight last night. Nevertheless, there are a lot of insects flying about. Three new records for the garden: a Lapposyrphus lapponicus hoverfly, a Dolycoris baccarum shieldbug and a Common Pug moth (resting in one of our sheds). The lepitoptera species count for our garden is now 515.

I saw this Early Bumblebee resting on a Water Aven flower at dusk this evening. I've not recorded this species before - but I don't usually bother with bumblers.

I thought this large wasp gathering wood from our fence was a hornet - but it is actually a queen median wasp.

The first two tau emperor eggs collected a couple of weeks ago hatched today. These are the most spectacular caterpillars I've ever seen.

While strimming the garden, I spotted this ringlet butterfly caterpillar in the grass.

I've been trying to get some decent photos of a jewel beetle, Anthaxia nitidula, for a couple of years. Today, this one sat on our box plant in the sunshine. While I was looking at the box, I saw the flowers and fruits for the first time.

Next to the box, we have a small hazel which has a lot of Hazel Big Bud gall. The bigger hazels don't seem to be affected (yet).

A couple of new insects recorded today; a hoverfly, Philhelius citrofasciatus and a sawfly, Tenthredopsis sordida.

Our bogbean has flowered in the pond for the first time.

We've had some nice warm spring sunshine for a few days. This has brought out the insects. Today I saw two grizzled skippers in the garden - the first I've seen since June 2020. The past few years we've had really wet Mays so they've probably been around - I just missed seeing them due to the weather.

There were a few new insects recorded for the garden too.

I probably won't be recording many birds over the next few weeks as our house is surrounded by scaffolding which restricts my views.

As I was working in the garden, I had the opportunity to see insects I would normally miss. This speckled yellow was freshly emerged and was drying his wings in the sunshine. The queen median wasp was collecting wood from our fence so there must be a nest being built nearby.

This opportunistic Common Wasp, Vespula vulgaris, has constructed a nest on the scaffolding outside our house. The construction started around 11:00 this morning and was finished around 20:00 this evening. No doubt our fence posts are significantly diminished! Click the image to see an animation.

I managed to get the moth trap out again last night. I had to place it up in the grass behind the house as the house is surrounded by scaffolding at the moment. Nonetheless, it was a really good night with two new macro moth species. The highlight was a male and female tau emperor moth. I found a caterpillar of this species a few years ago, but not in our garden so this is one of the new species. The female had layed three eggs in the trap so I've collected those and netted her up with some foodplants in the hope that she'll lay some more. **UPDATE** she layed another five eggs in the net before I let her go.

The other new species was a grey birch moth.

The weather is fantastic at the moment. I saw the first small copper butterfly of the year in the back garden today.

A black kite also flew over the house and a whinchat was sitting in one of our fruit trees.