Showers throughout the day.
I didn't know what the Tenthredo Sawfly ate until today. It's clearly a predator. I've struggled to identify the prey, but I think it's one of the Soldier Beetles.
I revisited the spot 10 minutes later and there wasn't much left, although the Sawfly was still eating.
Two more shots of the Common Spotted Orchid. I'll be putting these up as I find them this year, rather than storing them for a special page later in the year.
Rhingia campestris is one of our more common species of hoverflies, flying from April through to September. I can't remember seeing one hovering; they're normally pretty direct.
I've been trying to find a way of separating Broad Buckler Fern and Lady Fern from a distance. It's easy if you turn them over and look at the sori, or spore-bearing structures, but I wanted to tell them apart without having to touch them. Today I got the answer. Broad Buckler fern is more 'solid', with less space between the fronds and pinnae. Lady Fern has gaps that are big enough to put a finger in.
Broad Buckler is on the left and Lady Fern is on the right.
If you turn the fronds over and look at the sori, the difference is very clear. Broad Buckler has robust, round sori. Lady Fern has delicate curved ones.
Again Broad Buckler on the left and Lady on the right.
Fuchsia is now fully in flower on the verges. This is a major component of hedgerows in parts of Co. Donegal, colouring large sections of hedge with a vibrant red and purple.