Species Old and New

Last night as volunteers left Foxglove in the dark, there were a pair of Tawny Owls calling loudly.  Owls nest early and they will soon be guarding their territories in preparation for breeding.  Unfortunately we did not know exactly where they were, so this is a photograph taken earlier in the year.

Tawny Owls have been recorded on the reserve since 1992.  

We are continuing to set the moth trap on a Tuesday evening.  Although there are many moths around, judging by those caught in car headlights, not too many are visiting our trap.  However on Tuesday, moths were recorded, along with a caddis fly and another insect.  This insect having so many white marks on it, was thought to be easily identified. Unfortunately this was not so.

A photograph was sent to one of our experts and the reply was as follows -

'It is an ichneumon called Achaius oratorius, a lepidoptera parasite which is reasonably common in Yorkshire but this is the first record from VC65.'

According to information it likes to live in hedges and copses.  The larvae feed on butterfly and moth caterpillars.  The interesting part of the information says that the best time to see this insect is between June to September!

This is another new species for the reserve.