Ivy Flowers Means Ivy Bees

And right on cue, as the Ivy Hedera helix flowers begin to flower, so the Ivy Bees Colletes hederae emerge. These "seasonal" bees have to be one of my favourite bees of all time. They appear late August/early September and by the end of the October/early November disappear until the following year, when the next batch appear and the cycle begins all over again.

This bee was first seen in the British Isles, in Dorset 2001, having arrived from continental Europe. For me this is a real stunner of a bee and a species that is solely dependent on Ivy flowers and is the reason why it can only be seen in Autumn. The longer the flowers remain, the longer these bees are about.

Here is a very informative video narrated by Aaron Bhambra called "The Tale of the Ivy Bee: A New British Species" and published by the Biological Recording Company here.

Below are a few photos and a videos of one of the Ivy Bees I came across along Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadows this afternoon.

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Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Dunnock

Robin

Blackbird

1 Common Whitethroat

2 Blackcap

4 Chiffchaff

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Wren

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Jackdaw

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

There were plenty of Wood Pigeons about as per usual, and an empty egg shell from one pair, left in the middle of the seeds of a Wild Clematis Clematis vitalba

Skulking in the bushes was this Common Whitethroat.

I think it's clocked me!!

Butterflies Recorded:
6 Large White Pieris brassicae
3 Small White Pieris rapae
1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
3 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
5 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus

A Painted Lady Vanessa cardui........................

.......................in Wakeham Meadow

A male Common Blue Polyommatus icarus on Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris

Another male Common Blue also on Common Ragwort.

And another male Common Blue

And on the seed head of a Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra is a female Common Blue.

Moths Recorded:
5 Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum
8 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella
1 The Vestal Rhodometra sacraria

One of 5 Hummingbird Hawk-moths Macroglossum stellatarum seen nectarine on Buddleia Buddleja davidii. Blink and you will miss it.

Another Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum

And another Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum

A Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

And another Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

Having seen my first ever The Vestal Rhodometra sacraria 3 days ago in my moth trap...........

...................I came across this one in Old Quarry Lane.

Bees Recorded:
3 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
2 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
5 Honey Bee Apis mellifera
20+ Ivy Bee Colletes hederae

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
4 Wasps Vespula sps.
4 Mossy Rose Gall Wasp Dipoloepis rosaea 

A Robin's Pincushion on a Dog Rose Rosa canina. It is a gall caused by the larvae of a tiny gall wasp, Dipoloepis rosaea. More on this wasp Here.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
4 Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri

Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea

 Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria

Another Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria

Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

A Pied Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri. AKA White-bowed Smoothwing

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
Blue Blowfly Calliphora vicina
Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria

Greenbottle Lucilia sp.

A Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
8 Dock Bug Coreus marginatus
1 Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

The Wild Clematis in Wakeham Meadow.......................

......................... was a favoured spot for at least 8 Dock Bugs Coreus marginatus

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:

Long Winged Cone-head Conocephalus fuscus
Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus

I took two photos of this..........

...................Long Winged Cone-head Conocephalus fuscus and still managed to cut off its antennae.

Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus

Another Meadow Grasshopper

Lacewings and Scorpionflies Recorded:
1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea


Slugs and Snails Recorded:
1 Garden Snail Cornu aspersa


Spiders Recorded:
None

Froghoppers Recorded:

1 Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

A Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius. More on froghoppers here.

Plants:
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Buddleia Buddleja davidii
Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Common Teasel Dipsacus fullonum
Cotoneaster Cotoneaster sp.
Dog Rose Rosa canina
Elder Sambucus nigra
Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis
Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum AKA 'Raspberries and Cream'
Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum
Ivy Hedera helix
Large Bindweed Calystegia silvatica
Provence Rose Rosa gallica
Scarlet Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus
Wild Clematis Clematis vitalba AKA Travellers’ Joy and Old Man’s Beard.
Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare

Autumn Moths

Well I say Autumn Moths, as it all depends on whether you go by Meteorological Autumn, which always begins on 1 September and ends on 30 November, or by Astronomical Autumn which starts on 23 September this year, a date that changes by a few days every year.

Whichever you go by, there is definitely a marked difference in the weather, which is distinctly cooler than it was a week or so ago. And when I got up at 6:30am to check the moth trap, it was also very dark. It will be Winter before you know it!!

So what was in the trap. Well apart from a good number of moths still, there were 40+ beetles and 2 caddisflies, along with numerous unidentified flies.

So last nights trappings were 77 moths of 31 species, with 3 firsts for the year and 2 lifers.

  *First for year
**Lifers

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:

#1       Ox-tongue Conch Neocochylis molliculana x2

#2       Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea x6

#3       Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis x5

#4       Mullein Wave Scopula marginepunctata x1

#5     *Small Emerald Hemistola chrysoprasaria x1

#6       Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella x8

#7       Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum x3

#8       Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua x5

#9       Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea x2

#10     Flounced Rustic Luperina testacea x4

#11   *Straw Underwing Thalpophila matura x1

#12     Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata x1

#13     Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa x6

#14     Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis x3

#15     Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x4

#16     Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba x6

#17   *Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis x1

#18     Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae x1

#19     Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria x3

#20     Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni x1

#21     Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata x1

#22     L-album Wainscot Mythimna l-album x1

#23     Ruddy Streak Tachystola acroxantha x1

#24     Vetch Moth Aproaerema anthyllidella x1

#25     Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla x1

#26     White-point Mythimna albipuncta x2

#27     Starry Pearl Cynaeda dentalis x1

#28 **Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria x1

#29 **The Vestal Rhodometra sacraria x1

#30     Chinese Character Cilix glaucata x1

#31     Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum x2

#1 Ox-tongue Conch Neocochylis molliculana

#2 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea 

#2 Another Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea

#2 And another Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea

#2 And another Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea 

#2 And one more Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea 

#2 And last one Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea 

#3 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#3 Another Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#3 And another Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#4 Mullein Wave Scopula marginepunctata 

#5 *Small Emerald Hemistola chrysoprasaria

#6 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

#7 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum

#8 Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua AKA Beet Armyworm. They are starting to fade a bit now.

#9 Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea. The beetle is a ground beetle Bradycellus verbasci

#9 Another Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea

#10 Flounced Rustic Luperina testacea

#10 Another Flounced Rustic Luperina testacea

#11 *Straw Underwing Thalpophila matura. My first for the year and a very worn individual.

#12 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata

#13 Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa

#13 Another Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa

#13 And another Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa

#13 And one more Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa

#14 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis

#15 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua 

#16 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

#16 Another Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

#16 And another Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

#16 And one more Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

#16 Large Yellow Underwing

#17 *Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis - Melanic form. 

#17 *Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis - Standard form. This individual was trapped 20 Sep 25

#18 Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae 

#19 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria

#19 Another Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria

#19 And another Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria

#20 Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni

#20 Ni Moth

#21 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata

#22 L-album Wainscot Mythimna l-album

#22 L-album Wainscot

#23 Ruddy Streak Tachystola acroxantha. AKA Australian Orange-tip, which you can just make out on trailing edge of its wings.

#24 Vetch Moth Aproaerema anthyllidella

#24 Vetch Moth

#25 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla

#26 White-point Mythimna albipuncta

#27 Starry Pearl Cynaeda dentalis

#27 Starry Pearl

#28 **Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria. This is a male. The female is flightless

#29 **The Vestal Rhodometra sacraria

#29 The Vestal

#30 Chinese Character Cilix glaucata

#31 Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum

More on:

#28 Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

#29 The Vestal Rhodometra sacraria UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

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As mentioned above there were also 40+ beetles and 2 caddisflies, along with numerous unidentified flies in the trap.

One of 40+ Ground Beetles Bradycellus verbasci in the trap. It doesn't have a common British name, but in..................

...........Sweden it is called Rödgul vinterlöpare which in English translates to "Red-yellow Winter Runner". I said it would be Winter soon. 😂😂

Caddis Fly Stenophylax permistus