NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Time in the field has been reduced of late, and my mind is largely elsewhere, so here are a few snapshots of inverts that have come my way rather than having been hunted down. Privet Hawk-moth, Banstead. My second in the garden this summer. Waved Black, Banstead. A smart moth, not annual here. Scorched Wing, Banstead. I don't see too many of these moths, and hadn't noticed the purple staining on the underwing before. Rose Chafer, Banstead Downs. I hadn't seen this large beetle until last month, now another comes along. Smart! Stag Beetle, Banstead. This female was wandering along the pavement outside our house.

The garden MV has not been switched on for several weeks, the longest period of idleness for many a year. Last night, at dusk, and not without a touch of ceremony, the bulb was lit and I wandered up to the trap to make sure that all was well. OUCH! I looked down at my foot to see the bee that had stung me - it looked like a Buff-tailed to me. This morning I peered in the trap to see a fair number of moths, at least 20+ bees and also the beast that is pictured above - a male Stag Beetle. I have only seen a single female in 30 years of living here, but used to come across them regularly in Cheam Village when I resided there. I understand that they are still doing well there this summer. As for the bee numbers, I now notice a hole in the ground close to a Lawson's Cypress stump that is being used by them, just inches away from the MV. The trap will need to be re-sited... This afternoon, elder daughter Rebecca and I visited Park Downs - (it was a choice between that or Bluewa...

Female Stag Beetle - found crawling across the grass in the back garden by my elder daughter Rebecca. Lesser Stag Beetle, taken last year, for comparison