Alfie spotted a Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) in the back garden this morning, In fact it was one of 3 hanging around in the ivy. We did see the lovely deep blue of the open wings, but they never stay that way for long. It seems like a good year for the holly blue, i’ve never seen so many. They actually have an interesting a boom / bust cycle over about 4 years…

© Harry Mole 2017

Vines rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) this morning. I really struggled to identify this one, even with the book I couldn’t tell the difference between this and a common quaker. Facebook to the rescue!

The moth trap has been very disappointing for a couple of weeks, so it was great this morning to find:

The somewhat disappointing total contents of the moth trap this morning. It’s a common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) – distinguished from similar species (like the German wasp Vespula germanica) by the anchor shaped mark on its face.