Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society: home

Skip menu Access Keys Help Search

>>Home About GNS Diary Join Library Links News Publications Recording Reports Sites

Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society

What's new on our web site?

Online Recording

School Photographic Competition

The judging of this year's schools photo competition has now finished and the winners will be announced at the GWT schools quiz final on July 8th. Here are the shortlisted entries. Did your favourite win? Come back after July 8th to see the winning entries.

If you have children that will be attending Junior School next year please encourage the school to take part; this is a great way of getting them involved in wildlife.

Chris Packham at Monmouth, 13 July 2010

Forestry Commission Wales has arranged a talk by Chris Packham on 13 July at the Savoy Theatre at 7.30pm. The talk is entitled 'Never mind the buzzards - Here's the really wildlife'. Further details here.

Coombe Hill Canal and Meadows, June 2010

Life is returning to the canal and the meadows after the floods of 2007 and 2008 and in the canal this has been helped by the work on the south bank in 2009. A walk along the canal at the beginning of June produced sightings of six Tench grubbing about in the weed, including one lurking under some floating debris only 3 metres away from a 60cm (2ft) long Pike. The tench were probably on the large side for the pike and it was more likely to be lying in wait for ducklings or moorhen chicks. There were also Sticklebacks, both old and young, basking in sunny spots. Invertebrates of the surface film were in evidence, those above being Pond Skaters (Gerris) and Whirligig beetles (Gyrinus) while beneath them were several species of Water Boatmen and Backswimmers along with some small Dytiscid beetles. Paired Enallagma damselflies were busy depositing eggs on waterweeds near the surface. Along the margins on the south bank, invertebrates are returning following the clearing of scrub. The carabid beetle Elaphrus riparius was prowling the edges looking for prey with its large round eyes while the much smaller Bembidion and Stenus species were also on the lookout for insects such as springtails. From the bund to the footbridge the water gives the impression of being not such good quality, i.e. cloudy. However, hanging over the rails on the footbridge and looking straight down into the water, this cloudiness turns out to be many millions of Daphnia water fleas, rendering the canal bottom barely visible. The canal paths were also patrolled by Orange-tip, Green-veined White and Brimstone butterflies, as well as the occasional territorial Speckled Wood.

Out on the meadows the buttercups and hawkweeds add a vigorous splash of yellow to the green background, with Cuckoo flowers just going over and Ragged Robin and Red Clover just beginning to open. Green-veined White and Common Blue butterflies were visiting these flowers in the sunshine. The vegetation is now long enough to hide the occasional Hare. In some fields the dock plants are growing well but will soon be found by the Dock Leaf Beetle (Gastrophysa viridula) whose larvae will convert most of them to brown lace before too long. Already the females with overly-distended bodies are laying bunches of yellow eggs on the undersides of the leaves. After the recent spell of hot weather the newer ditches are low on water and being choked up with vegetation but the water edges are still being patrolled by Bembidion and Stenus beetles and the prolific predatory waterside bug Salda littoralis. Patches of Crowfoot flowers brighten up these ditches here and there. In the older ditches and drains Great Pond Snails (Limnaea stagnalis) and Ramshorn snails can be seen moving around on the underside of the surface film accompanied by water beetles such as the 18mm Colymbetes fuscus and smaller relatives. Where the Duckweed has built up into a thick raft it might be possible to see species such as the Screech Beetle (Hygrobia hermanni) which, when alarmed, makes a quite audible sound – less of a screech and more like the sound of running your fingernail rapidly along a comb. In these ditches were also to be seen young Sticklebacks in some numbers.

In one of the fields is a muddy dip that is normally wet into early summer but this year has dried out with deep cracks and blocks of soil. These cracks are hiding places for Bembidion, Salda and a number of small Staphylinid beetles, including the brightly-coloured red and black Paederus littoralis. Under the blocks of soil were several Horse Leeches (Haemopis sanguisorba) trying to find the last vestiges of moisture to see them through the summer dry spell. One group that particularly suffered in the floods was the Wolf Spiders that do not spin webs, do not balloon when young, and live in the ground layer of vegetation. This year a few can be seen running through the grass as they recolonise the area from outside, some carrying their eggsacs as they go. There is no mention of birds here as they are well covered by other observers!

David Scott-Langley, 6th June 2010

Cotswold Water Park Field Meeting, 10 April 2010

Fourteen members met in the Cotswold Gateway Centre car park on a beautifully sunny morning. The walk was short in length (only about 650 metres on the outward leg) along the towpath of the disused Thames-Severn Canal but there was plenty to see and we identified at least 119 species of all sorts. The birds alone accounted for 40 species and along with the many every-day species a big surprise was a Grey Cockatiel flying along the canal calling loudly, probably an escape. A number of summer residents had moved in – Sedge Warblers calling from the reedbeds, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Blackcap and a possible Garden Warbler calling from the trees, and from the side of the towpath a blast of song from two Cetti’s Warblers. At the end of the walk a lone Swallow flew over determined to be somewhere else.

Spring butterflies were very much in evidence with Orange-tips, Green-veined Whites and Brimstones showing frequently with occasional Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and a Comma, and right at the end of the walk back in the car park was a newly-emerged Speckled Wood. Several animals commanded particular attention and among them was a harvestman (Platybunus triangularis) with its pair of googly eyes perched on top of its body surmounted by a spiky crown, a species that matures earlier in the year than most others. Another species of interest and a first for many people was a pseudoscorpion (Chthonius tetrachelatus), all of 2mm long and living under a stone on the boundary wall. They are very distantly related to true scorpions but do not have the poisonous tail, are all very small, and feed on springtails and other small animals. Also residing under these stones in large numbers were the young larvae of the Buff Footman moth and a single larva of the Common Footman, many accompanied by moulted larval skins. Members of the Footman family feed on lichens growing on trees and walls and can be found all over the Cotswolds.

Some of the early flowers were out with abundant Butterbur, White Violets, Lesser Celandines, and Dandelions in evidence with Ground Ivy and Cuckoo flowers just appearing but, most spectacular of all were the Kingcups on the ditch sides, large and bright against the vegetation clearance going on alongside.

An enjoyable walk in good company, and thank you to all those who contributed records.

David Scott-Langley

Cinderford Field Meeting, 28 March 2010

The forecast for this morning meeting was for heavy rain, but the thirteen people who were present enjoyed sunny spring weather. The meeting was primarily for amphibians. Pond-dipping was engaged in enthusiastically and two Palmate Newts and several newt larvae were netted, the latter having over-wintered in the ponds.

We had placed bottle-traps in two of the ponds the evening before to demonstrate one method of newt surveying. This yielded numerous Palmate Newts of both sexes, but only one male Smooth Newt. Comparisons were made between the newts that had been bottle-trapped overnight, and Great Crested Newts, both male and female, that we brought to the meeting. People could therefore see the differences between the three species that are present at the site.

The picture above (taken by Tiz Butler) shows the difference between a great crested female (below) and smooth male (above), showing how much bigger the great crested is. It isn't a trick of perspective as they were pretty much in the same plane. In fact, you can see that the rear foot of the smooth is over and across the crested. This would have been in a "black boxing glove" if it had been a palmate newt. So the thin whip-tail at the end of the smooth newt's tail is just because it is folded over. It isn't the needle of the palmate.

The party then walked along the track, stopping at another pond where frogs had been present in good numbers a couple of weeks earlier, with numerous clumps of spawn, and here we looked for newt-eggs on the leaves of pond vegetation, but none were seen. We moved on to Laymoor Quag, a Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Reserve, where squares of roofing felt had been placed some weeks earlier in the hope that reptiles might be observed under or on top of the felts. Unfortunately they yielded nothing, although a brief glimpse of a disappearing Common Lizard was seen nearby.

We then viewed the new ponds next to Laymoor Quag which had been dug in the autumn of 2009. (Cinderford Linear Park is one of five areas in the county where new ponds are being created in order to enhance and encourage meta-populations of Great Crested Newt under the Biodiversity Action Plan partnership.)

Following the cycle track southwards towards Bilson Halt, where other ponds have been dug, we saw two Fallow Deer, and a Fox Moth caterpillar (big as a lady's finger) was photographed. Here lichens were gathered by Juliet Bailey who gave us a brief lesson in the identification of them. A total of fourteen species were identified; the beard lichen (Usnea) being the star.

Of the birds present we heard Chiffchaff calling and a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming, heralding the arrival of spring.

Colin and Ingrid Twissell. (Colin holds a licence for Great Crested Newt Work, including survey, science and educatin.)

Overley Wood, Daglingworth Field Meeting, 21 March 2010

The day before this meeting it had rained solidly and the prospects were not good but fifteen members met on the roadside by Overley Wood above Daglingworth in full sunshine. This brought out some Brimstone and Peacock butterflies and a Comma looking for early spring flowers. Three species of ladybird were seen including the Orange Ladybird, usually in clusters on oak and hazel twigs. This species was quite rare but in recent years it has expanded its range.

Overhead, a Buzzard was being harassed by a Raven, while other birds were heard as they flew above the trees such as three Skylarks and some Siskins. In the trees were Marsh, Coal, Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tits accompanied by an occasional Treecreeper and Nuthatch. In all we recorded twenty-eight bird species. Mammals were in evidence – earthworks by Moles on the woodland floor; Fallow Deer droppings everywhere; a Hare was put up and ran off deeper into the woods; and part of an old badger skeleton, including the skull, was found in the thorn scrub which lead to a demonstration of the permanently-hinged lower jaw. Grey Squirrels had been eating hazel nuts on some old cut tree stumps and in two cases they had also eaten the large ground beetle Carabus problematicus, leaving the wing cases and thorax. This beetle is approximately 30mm long, dull black in general colour with an iridescent purple edge to the thorax and wing cases.

Close study was made of a rare springtail which looks like an orange 2mm long Michelin Man with long hairs (Monobella grassei) and its much commoner cousin that looks like a grey version of the same thing (Neanura muscorum). The long life (11 years) of the Pill Millipede (Glomeris marginatus) was mentioned. The Wood Ants were out in the sunshine warming up in preparation for rebuilding their nests after the winter ravages, and renewing their trails across the woodland floor in search of food to keep these huge communities alive. Some were even sitting on sun-warmed scrap black plastic soaking up the heat. The White-lipped and Brown-lipped snails were both found and there was a discussion about the differing ground colours and number of bands within each species and how this related to where they lived in different habitats.

Spring flowers such as Primrose and Ground Ivy were beginning to open in the warm weather and Wild Arum, Bluebells and Dog’s Mercury were just starting to push their leaves through the leaf litter. Some Scarlet Elf Cup fungi were seen growing among the mosses on the ground beneath the thorn scrub and several other species were seen during the walk. Thirty-one lichen species were recorded from the various tree species. We also had an introduction to reading a woodland and being able to determine its history – in this case it appeared to be lapsed coppice with standards with some mature conifer planting.

I would like to thank Mark Leebrecht, who manages this part of Earl Bathurst’s woodland, for permission to allow the group to meet in Overley Wood, and to all those who have contributed records which will be forwarded to Mark.

David Scott-Langley

Recorder Contact Details

The list of recorders has been updated to show current contact details and the early summer fieldmeetings have been added to the diary.

The Eyed Ladybird in Gloucestershire

Since 2004 UK ladybird recording has been dominated by the arrival and rapid spread of the alien Harlequin Ladybird, and the fear of the adverse effect this would have on our native ladybird species. It is pleasing therefore to report that records this year suggest that our native ladybirds are still thriving, including Britain’s largest and most spectacular species, the Eyed Ladybird (Anatis ocellata).

The Eyed Ladybird is typically about 9mm in length and is significantly larger than the Harlequin. Its elytra (wing cases) are brownish red and normally have 18 black spots which are surrounded by cream haloes; this pattern resembles the pupil and iris of an eye and accounts for the common name of this species. In occasional examples either the cream “irises” or the black “pupils” may be missing; in the former case the ladybird could conceivably be confused with a Harlequin, especially as the black pattern on the pronotum is not dissimilar to the black M-shaped pronotum pattern of the typical Harlequin.

The Eyed Ladybird is classified as “locally common” but is much more elusive than this status would suggest. This is probably because its habitat is in Scots pine and the ladybirds spend most of the time high in the trees. During the last 20 years Gloucestershire records of the Eyed Ladybird have averaged less than two per year.

A larva and four examples of adults, all photographed in Gloucestershire, are illustrated. Roger Hawkins wrote in “Ladybirds of Surrey” that 90% of the Surrey records for the species have been from Scots pine. Surprisingly , however, a high proportion of recent Gloucestershire records have come from situations other than pine. The seldom-seen larva was beaten off Norway Spruce at the Cotswold Farm by David Scott-Langley on 10 June 2009. Of the four adults, those at Rendcomb Park and Lower Lodge Wood were found in places with no Scots pine or other conifers in the vicinity, the Rendcomb specimen being on an oak trunk. Conversely the Pittville Park specimen was photographed on the railings at which ladybirds are often present in numbers; these railings are actually very close to mature Scots pine trees. The final photograph shows an Eyed Ladybird adult on the white wall of my house in Woodmancote on 19 August 2009 (again nowhere near Scots pine). It is probable that it was attracted there, as are many moths, by the security light during the night. Roger Gaunt has recorded the species in a moth trap at St. Briavels.

David Iliff

David's pictures below show different views of the 2 species in the following order:

Eyed Ladybird larva - top

Eyed Ladybird from Rendcomb - middle left and from Lower Lodge Wood - middle right

Eyed Ladybird from Pittville Park - bottom left and from Woodmancote - bottom right.

Online Recording

Those of you in the county with a keen interest in birds will already know that in addition to the BTO Atlas there is the very successful online recording facility at http://www.universalquestions.com/nature

The recording system has now been extended to embrace the following categories:
Butterflies
Dragonflies and damselflies
Mammals
Orchids

Richard Beal's software provides a straightforward but nevertheless sophisticated way of getting your sightings from your desktop to the county recorders and by using the system you can make a valuable contribution to the GNS ongoing recording effort. After a simple registration procedure you can start recording straightaway and you can return to the web site at any time by simply logging in.

Volucella zonaria and Volucella inanis: spectacular new additions to Gloucestershire’s hoverfly fauna.

Volucella zonaria and Volucella inanis are nationally notable hoverflies that were unknown in Gloucestershire before 2001. They have since gradually become established here, and are being seen frequently at this time of year.

Volucella zonaria (about 19 mm. in length ) is easily the largest of British hoverflies. Volucella inanis is smaller, but at about 16 mm. is still among the half dozen or so largest British species. Both are good mimics of social wasps, in particular the Hornet (Vespa crabro) – indeed Volucella zonaria is sometimes known as the Hornet Hoverfly. Many hoverflies are good mimics of bees and wasps, their mimicry giving them protection from predators such as birds. However these two Volucella species are associated with wasps in a more direct way: their females lay their eggs in the nests of hornets and other social wasps, and their larvae develop there as scavengers.

Volucella inanis has probably been a native species for centuries, but Volucella zonaria was only found in Britain as an occasional vagrant until the 1940s. Before the current millennium both species were virtually confined to south-eastern and southern England, with the exception of a population of Volucella zonaria in the Bristol area (including sites in Vice County 34 West Gloucestershire, but well south of Gloucestershire’s present day borders). Since then both species have been expanding their range westwards and northwards. The first record for Gloucestershire (as currently defined) of Volucella zonaria was in 2001, but it was only in 2004 that Volucella inanis began to be seen on a regular basis in the county and only in 2007 that Volucella zonaria was seen in numbers. The spread of these two hoverfly species is suspected to be a result of climate change.

Apart from its larger size, the female of Volucella zonaria is easily distinguishable from Volucella inanis by the fact that its thoracic dorsum is predominantly, or sometimes entirely, chestnut coloured; that of Volucella inanis is mainly black with some chestnut at the sides and a small chestnut onion-dome shaped mark at the rear. This distinction makes the female Volucella zonaria look especially hornet-like in its colouring. Difficulty can arise however in separating the males of the two species, as the thoracic dorsum of male Volucella zonaria is black (like both sexes of inanis) rather than chestnut. (As with most hoverflies, the males have the eyes contiguous, while those of the females are separated) The two species can usually be differentiated by looking at tergite 2 (the front-most fully visible segment of the upper surface of the abdomen). In Volucella inanis the yellow markings occupy the greater part of the segment, are almost rectangular in shape, and are always as bright as the yellow areas on the other segments of the abdomen. In the case of Volucella zonaria the equivalent markings are restricted to a smaller area of the front half of tergite 2, their rear edge is curved and they are often darker than the yellow areas of the other tergites, sometimes being almost chestnut-coloured like the thorax of the female.

The most reliable way of distinguishing the two species is to look at sternite 2, the segment of the underside of the abdomen immediately below tergite 2. This can be done in the field by looking at the insect from the side. In Volucella zonaria sternite 2 is always black while in Volucella inanis it is always yellow.

While many scarce hoverflies can only be found in such habitats as ancient woodland or primary wetland, Volucella zonaria and Volucella inanis favour gardens and urban parks. Although they feed on nectar and pollen from a wide range of flowers, Volucella inanis is often at bramble and Volucella zonaria at Buddleia, while both species seem to have a special affinity with the Hebe cultivar “Great Orme”. The peak of their flight season is August.

Recent news suggests that Volucella zonaria, itself a relative newcomer to Britain, may be in danger of eventually losing its status as the country’s largest hoverfly. There have been two reports this year of sightings in the south-west of Milesia crabroniformis, a continental hoverfly, which, as its name implies, is another hornet mimic, and which is even larger, at nearly 25 mm., than Volucella zonaria.

David Iliff

David's pictures below show different views of the 2 species in the following order:

Volucella zonaria male - top left and female - top right

Volucella inanis male - middle left and female - middle right

Volucella zonaria side view - bottom left and Volucella inanis side view - bottom right.

GNS Grants

The Society is pleased to announce that small grants are available to help finance projects concerned with biological recording, education, public awareness and environmental or nature conservation within the county.

The terms and conditions for payment of grants are available here.

A copy of the grant application form is here .

Top of this page

Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society is the natural history recording organisation for Gloucestershire, UK, recording all of the wildlife in the county. The society is membership based and organises lectures and field meetings.

President: Mrs Anna Jones

Chairman: Mike Smart

Registered Charity No. 252710

Contact the society

[ Home ] [ Privacy Policy ] [ Top of this page ]

If you have any comments on or experience any problems with this page please contact R Homan