Sawfly Arge nigripes

Found this little insect on the door frame of my house yesterday 26th April and still present today. With the birding quiet I decided to spend some time trying to identify it. My conclusion was Arge nigripes. The adult of this species is on the wing in April and May whereas the similar Arge berberidis and Arge gracilicornis are much later. This larval foodplant is Rose (rosa). There are 13 species of Arge in the UK: berberidis, ciliaris, cyanocrocea, enodis, expansa, fuscipes, gracilicornis, melanochra, metallica, nigripes, ochropus, pagana, rustica.

Arge nigripes

Arge nigripes

Tawny Pinion

Several Tawny Pinion moths have been turning up in moth traps in the south-west of England recently and I myself have had two: 29th March 2014 and 4th April 2014 both of which were trapped using my Skylight trap. This species is best told from the Pale Pinion by the presence of a dark line extending from the inner edge of the forewing and the black abdominal crests.

Tawny Pinion

Common Spiders

I found these two today and fortunately were easy of identify:

Nursery Web Spider

Common Crab Spider

Oak Beauty

Trapped this fresh Oak Beauty in the garden last night and after 8 years of trapping was wondering if they ever came to actinic as have never trapped this species in Weston despite others getting it to come to MV.

Oak Beauty Moth