Nature Notes from Argyll
(and occasionally other places)

Tue 22 Jun 2010

The green-eyed fly is Xyphosia miliaria.  It lays eggs in Creeping Thistle flowerheads.

Fri 25 Jun 2010

The moth is a Map-winged Swift that ventured in through my window.
 

Sat 26 Jun 2010 Lochan a'Bhuilg Bhith, near Oban

Very interesting loch and adjacent marshland with a rich and varied vegetation.  Lots of damselflies, though very few dragons proper, just 3 or so Four-spotted Chasers.  Those shown here are Blue-tailed Damselflies, in tandem.  The female belongs to the colour form rufescens-obsoleta.

Remarkable number of moths about despite the dull conditions.  Managed to get usable photos of a few.  This is a rather worn Buff Ermine.
 

The Beautiful China-mark and the Brown China-mark were rather pleasingly found close together.
 

Forester Moth on Ragged Robin.
 

The Reed Beetle Plateumaris sericea s.l. on Marsh Cinquefoil.  I can't tell whether it's P sericea s.s. or P discolor, but as these are sometimes regarded as a single species I'm content to lump them.
 

Even the ditches are full of Yellow Water-lilies.  From the loch I walked back along the forestry track to Glencruitten.  This moth was a new one for me, the Gold Swift, taken in very poor light unfortunately, on Cocksfoot with cuckoo spit.
 

Aslo in the forestry was this Red-necked Footman on dead bracken.
 

All photos and other content copyright © Carl Farmer