COVID19 List - day 11

Saturday 28th March 2020

The weekend again, so I was able to get out and about a bit more...within reason.

137. Tutsan Rust Melampsora hypericorum - Rob Yaxley found this on leaves of Tutsan in his garden, so I popped out of the back door and found it on ours too.

138. Oregon-grape Mahonia aquifolium - a commonly planted shrub, this is self-seeding in parts of the garden.

139. Mahonia Rust Cumminsiella mirabilissima - I was alerted to this fungus last year by James Emerson. Easily found on Mahonia it would appear.

140. Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense - common plant in the garden (the most widespread plant species in Norfolk in fact)

141. [A leaf-mining fly] Phytomyza hellebori - the leaves of this Stinking Hellebore have been supporting a small population of this fly since at least 2013 (when I first noticed it). Fly larvae live within the thickness of the leaf, largely protected from predators. Note that there's a black fungus on here too, which we haven't yet identified.

142. Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus - new sapling poking up near the vegetable patch. There's a lot of talk about planting trees; it's not always necessary, they're quite good at it themselves.

143. White Rust Albugo candida - found on the underside of leaves of Honesty by the front door (the upperside quite discoloured too). This is quite an interesting species, as although it looks superficially like a fungus, it isn't - it's in an entirely separate kingdom. Different scientists differ on what this kingdom should be called (Protista, Chromista, ??) Anyway, it occurs on a range of different cruciferous plants - might prove to be a range of different species with further investigations.

144. Hop Humulus lupulus - a very common creeper around the garden, tiresomely creeping over everything else as the summer progresses. I don't see it widely elsewhere in the village - presumably someone in the past cultivated it here. Jo Parmenter mentioned that the shoots at this time of year are edible, which I can now confirm.

145. Broad-leaved Dock Rumex obtusifolius - common weed in the garden 

146. Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolata - no flowers yet but several plants apparent around the front garden, another foodplant (with Honesty) for Orange-tip butterflies

147. Garden Grape-hyacinth Muscari armeniacum - spreads readily around the garden, favoured by small bees and bee-flies.

148. [A leaf-spot fungus] Boeremia (Phoma) hedericola - another tip-off from Rob Yaxley, this was found on an ivy leaf in a shady part of the garden

149. Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus - part of our hedge but spreading under its own steam.

150. Stinking Iris Iris foetidissima - several plants have established themselves around the garden in recent years (or at least, I've noticed them in recent years)

151. Holly Leaf-miner Phytomyza ilicis - a very widespread leaf-mining fly whose mines can almost always been found on wild Holly; it's pickier on garden plants it seems.

152. Silver Birch Betula pendula - we have a couple of tall trees. Suspect they may initially have been planted as there's not a huge amount of birch in the village, but it is of course a common native tree.

153. Ragwort Senecio jacobaea - leaves noticed in the back garde whilst weeding

154. Dunnock Prunella modularis - had forgotten to add this previously, common garden resident

155. Linnet Linaria cannabina - a flock of about 30 landed in a tree just over the road briefly. There's been a big flock up the road all winter, but they're now separating out into pairs and smaller groups.

156. Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis - two seen sun-basking, very common spider

157. Black Garden Ant Lasius niger - common in the garden. There are some very similar species but I checked a couple very closely, in particular to rule out L. platythorax.

COVID19 list - days 9 and 10

Thursday 26th March 2020

117. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea - one flew down the common; not sure where the nearest nesting colony is, but they're regular along the stream here.

118. Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula - a least one pair are being their usual spring nuisance self, eating all the buds off the apple and cherry trees. I love their muted calls though, not to mention their looks, so we'll forgive them.

119. Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto - a pair prefers to hang out at the nearby pub, but wanders over to see us every now and then

120. [A picture-winged fly] Tephritis formosa - small fly with jazzy wings in the back garden. I assumed it would prove to be T. neesii, which hangs around the abundant ox-eye daisies, but it proved to be formosa on closer inspection. This species lays its eggs in the sow-thistles Sonchus which should become apparent in the garden quite soon.

121. [A non-biting midge] Psectrotanypus varius - small fly also with well-patterned wings, netted in the front garden. I keyed it to the family Chironomidae and then Tony Irwin kindly put a name to it online. Apparently not often recorded, but presumably common enough.

122. Nettle Ground Bug Heterogaster urticae - quite a distinctive bug once learned, and common around nettles. Today's was found basking on a sunny wall.

123. [A rove beetle] Tachinus subterraneus - a new one for me, found sat on a leaf in the front garden. Rove beetles are a hugely diverse group, with over 1,000 species in the UK alone.

124. Comma Polygonia c-album - I'd been a bit slow off the mark this year with butterflies compared to other people, but always great to see your first sun-basking Comma

125. Peacock Inachis io - second butterfly in a few minutes, this one didn't stop for its photo to be taken

126. Green Alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens - another plant that was presumably initially a deliberate planting, but is now rampant across much of the garden and the front verge. Bees and bee-flies love it though.

127. Hazel Corylus avellana - just a few small ones in the garden

128. "Hazel Big Bud Gall" Phytoptus avellanae - easily overlooked until known, these expanded buds on hazel are due to congregations of this tiny mite, which cause the formation of this gall (i.e. atypical plant growth stimulated by another organism). The mites aren't much to look at, believe me.

129. Sweet Violet Viola odorata - several plants growing around the front garden, appearing under their own steam. Note the rounded sepals.

Friday 27th March 2020

130. Yarrow Achillea millefolium - unobtrusive leaves spotted on the front verge this morning as the dog and I left for our permitted exercise

131. Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus - one flew through the front garden during a brief sunny coffee break

132. Horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum - a few "self-seeded" (i.e. from conkers brought back) plants are growing around the garden, their sticky buds now apparent.

133. [A muscid fly] Eudasyphora cyanella - one netted in the garden, superficially like a greenbottle but this is from a different fly family (you've got to look closely at specific groups of bristles...)

134. Short-fringed Mining Bee Andrena dorsata - male netted and examined closely. One of quite a range of solitary bees that occur in the garden.

135. Green Shield-bug Palomena prasina - a common shield-bug on a wide range of trees and shrubs.

136. Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna - several in the front hedge and elsewhere, important for a range of other species.

COVID19 List - Days 6 to 8

Monday 23rd March 2020

82. Twin-spotted Quaker Orthosia munda - a late entry from last night in the moth trap

83. Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus - a regular fly-over here, although very seldom in the garden itself

84. Green Woodpecker Picus viridis - yaffling away from somewhere nearby

85. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus - oddly (given how boring it is), one of my favourite local bird songs. One starts singing on the common over the road early in the spring, every year. Never yet seen it actually in the garden.

86. Pheasant Phasianus colchicus - calling from nearby fields. Not sure how long these would persist in the absence of released birds each year.

87. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos - incessant songster a few weeks back, but seems to have largely shut up now.

88. Greater Plantain Plantago major - grows through the gravel on the drive

89. Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius - always nice to see the first each year.

90. Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum- doesn't seem to be particularly common in the garden, despite the English name

91. Gwynne's Mining Bee Andrena bicolor - the small dark males seem to be quite common in the garden; have recorded these for many years here.


Tuesday 24th March 2020

92. Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa - calling from nearby fields, another one heavily influenced by annual releases

93. Wren Troglodytes troglodytes - at least one territory in the garden, and a particularly annoying individual that "clears up" around the moth-trap if I'm not careful.

94. Stock Dove Columba oenas - occasional birds fly past, and they sometimes call from nearby mature trees

95. Great Tit Parus major - another annoying moth-trap pest. This year, as has often been the case in the past, we've got a pair nesting in an air-brick by the kitchen.

96. Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba - one flew over. Think they probably nest somewhere nearby (as do Grey Wagtails most years, although none currently around).

97. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus - congregation in the ploughed field behind the house

98. Common Gull Larus canus - also in the ploughed fields

99. Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum - a queen bumbling around the flowerbed. This fairly recent colonist has become increasingly abundant in recent years, but really seemed to get knocked back to a low ebb last year.

100. Buddleia Buddleja davidii - freely self-seeding around the garden

101. Tutsan Hypericum androsaemum - presumably initially deliberately planted, but self-seeding over a limited part of the garden

102. Tawny Owl Strix aluco - calling nearby at dusk. Surprised not to add Barn and Little Owl yet...

103. Oak Beauty Biston strataria - two in the moth-trap, always a nice catch.

Wednesday 25th March 2020

104. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus - I think they're nesting in the front hedge again (I ought to pull my finger out and look properly I suppose)

105. Redwing Turdus iliacus - a few still hanging around. There's been a big flock of Fieldfares nearby too, but will they come over the garden before they migrate...?

106. Greylag Goose Anser anser - a small flock frequents fields/pools at the other end of the village, flying around from time to time

107. Kestrel Falco tinnunculus - we've got a very active pair close by the house at present (surprised it took this long to remember to write them down in fact). The grassy common is ideal hunting terrain, with various trees and nest boxes suitable for them.

108. Treecreeper Certhia familiaris - not common in the garden, so pleasing to hear one calling and then see it in one of the tall trees in the back

109. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos - pair flew over, they nest on the common most years

110. Wood Forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica - the garden variety is an abundant self-seeding plant in the back garden, can become dominant in some areas

111. Elder Sambucus nigra - several mature plants, and freely self-seeds

112. Dog's Mercury Mercurialis perennis - a very pleasant surprise to come across this in a shady corner of the back garden. Never noticed it before, wonder how long it's been lurking here

113. Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis - another self-seeding common plant in the back

114. [A micro-fungus] Ramularia septata - an obscure fungus growing on snowdrop leaves. I was alerted to this via a local Facebook group, popped out and then found it in the garden. There are such hidden species in all gardens I'm sure.

115. Alexanders Rust Puccinia smyrnii - a very common fungus growing on Alexanders everywhere

116. Holly Ilex aquifolium - several plants around the garden, some clearly planted and others more wild in character.

COVID19 List - Day 5

Sunday 22nd March 2020

Thought it was time to add a few birds to the COVID list, plus a round up of a few other obvious species.

32. Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita - hooray, it's spring! We don't get wintering Chiffs out here in the icy winter of the Norfolk countryside, so this a definite arrival.

33. Woodpigeon Columba palumbus - day 5...?

34. Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs - male now singing regularly in the back garden

35. Blackbird Turdus merula - common around the garden

36. Jackdaw Coloeus monedula - common in the village, nesting in the ruined churches, some old trees and almost all the nestboxes that have been put up for the Barn Owls...

37. Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus - presumably nesting somewhere around the garden at the moment

38. Robin Erithacus rubecula - particularly evident when I do some weeding

39. Coal Tit Periparus ater - singing from nearby conifers

40. Goldcrest Regulus regulus - also singing from nearby conifers, this species has definitely bred in the garden in previous years

41. Greenfinch Chloris chloris - despite the recent national declines, still common around here and nests in the garden.

42. Human Homo sapiens - plenty of wild examples in the neighbourhood

43. Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus - recent ploughing and tilling of the fields has attracted decent numbers of gulls to nearby fields, regularly passing over the garden

44. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo - now common in the village, pretty much always visible if you look carefully enough. Nice when they occasionally perch close by though.

45. Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis - more common than Greenfinch these days.

46. Hairy-footed Flower-bee Anthophora plumipes - one of the more recognisable spring bees, several males today around the flowerbed. They like the White Dead-nettle. Here's one I photographed from Thetford recently, showing why it's called 'hairy-footed', and indeed 'plumipes'

47. Silverfish Lepisma saccharina - we asked the boys to demolish our old shed today. Been meaning to do this for years. Good for us, terrible news for the population of Silverfish that were living in it!

48. Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber - more denizens of the destroyed shed...

49. Pied Shield-bug Tritomegas bicolor - a very distinctive bug associated with White Dead-nettle

50. Common Nettle Urtica dioica - common in the garden (obvs)

51. Lords-and-ladies Arum maculata - pretty common around the garden (which has quite a "shady woodland" character in the back)

52. Red Dead-nettle Lamium purpureum - common whenever ground gets disturbed

53. Ground-elder Aegopodium podagraria - WAY too common. Only redeeming feature is that you can eat it. We had a load of fresh leaves that we stuck in a curry, worked quite well. But if you find this starting to appear in a garden, destroy immediately.

54. Ivy-leaved Speedwell Veronica hederifolia - easy to overlook but common.

55. Golden Pigmy Stigmella aurella - the easiest micro-moth leaf-mine to find at this time of the year, in bramble leaves everywhere. Most mines will be vacated, but still very visible.

56. Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium - a common plant in the garden, leaves just pushing through now and useful later for pollinating insects

57. Alexanders Smyrnium olusatrum - increasingly invasive in the garden, spreading from the back hedge throughout. Not at all easy to manage!

58. Cow-parsley Anthriscus sylvestris - a very common plant in the garden, can become dominant without some level of control

59. Yellow Archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon - another plant that was presumably planted originally but that has spread sufficiently that it feels like it "counts" as a wild plant now in the garden.

60. Beech Fagus sylvatica - difficult one, we have a small number of trees in our hedge, although there are/were some mature trees nearby also. Feels like a fairly natural part of the garden anyway.

61. Honesty Lunaria annua - doesn't feel very natural, but self-seeds in a highly invasive way, and the Orange-tips love it (coming soon...) so feels a countable part of the garden's biodiversity

62. Seven-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata - probably the most obvious beetle in the garden; Harlequin Ladybirds seems to be at a lower ebb at present.

63. Honey Bee Apis mellifera - another odd one for listing purposes. Many folk think that Honey Bees are wild animals. They're not really, we mange almost all of them. Indeed, we have two hives in our garden, and probably most of the Honey Bees we see in the garden have come no more than a few feet. But ..... the bees don't know that. They kind of feel sort of wild.... sod it, on the list they go.

64. "White-footed Hoverfly" Platycheirus albimanus - one of the commoner small spring hoverflies in the garden, with silvery spots on the back where most related species are yellow.

65. Ash Fraxinus excelsior - several still hanging on around the garden, despite the onwards march of the ash dieback around here.

66. "Bramble" Rubus ulmifolius - with the help of Alex Prendergast in the past, I've found both this species and R. vestitus in the garden previously. Better re-find the latter as well then.

67. Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana - seems increasingly common in the garden in recent years. Maybe we'll get Silver-washed Fritillaries breeding soon...

68. Irish Yellow Slug Limacus maculatus - thanks to Brian Eversham for confirmation, this seems to be quite a common species in the garden

69. Winter Aconite Eranthis hyemalis - presumably this was planted once-upon-a-time but highly invasive here, must be 20,000 plants in the back garden! Impressive show of colour in January.

70. "Aconite Smut" Urocystis eranthidis - whilst weeding some aconite out, I noticed this blackish mass erupting from a stem and worked out it must be this, a new species for me. Not often recorded, but presumably widespread.

71. Ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea - very common low-growing plant throughout the garden

72. Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus - one singing this afternoon briefly from the back garden, not a regular song spot for it.

73. Stinking Hellebore Helleborus foetidus - small numbers of plants, maybe initially planed but spreading on its own

74. "Lace-web Spider" Amaurobius similis - another victim of the dismantled shed, this is commonly also found inside our house

75. Ox-eye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare - a very invasive plant throughout the garden, but good for pollinators later on

76. [A leaf beetle] Chrysolina staphylaea - I found this beetle whilst weeding, and it seems to key readily to this species. Quite sizeable (for a leaf beetle). I've only come across it once before (up Ben Lawers in fact!) but it's a common species.

77. Blunt-tailed Snake Millipede Cylindroiulus punctatus - another from the dismnatled shed. Hadn't looked at millipedes for a few years, but this is quite an easy one.

78. Common Carder-bee Bombus pascuorum - a common species in the garden

Additions from previous days

79. [A ground beetle] Notiophilus biguttatus - found whilst weeding on 21st March, now keyed and confirmed

80. [A rove beetle] Xantholinus lineatus - found whilst weeding on 21st March, keyed and confirmed

81. Small Sallow Mining Bee Andrena praecox - a female netted in garden on 21st March, first record here.