Thursday 25 May 2017

Web surprise

On the drive to Hendre Woods yesterday, to look for Drab Looper, I nearly crashed the car when I saw a huge web in a laneside hawthorn hedge. 'Surely Small Eggar' I thought, and sure enough it proved to be. Martin tells me this is the first county record north of Caerleon, except for an adult record from Neil Horton's garden many years ago.
 


A few yards further along the same hedge, a spindle had been thoroughly webbed by the Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella.

I saw 3 Drab Looper at Hendre, which was a relief after drawing a blank there in 2016.

1 comment:

  1. I 'twitched' the Small Eggars the following day, and very active and wonderful they were. This species may be a new arrival in the area, as my trap site is only 3km away and Heather Colls has trapped regularly in her garden at Jingle Street which is less than 200m from the web.

    The Yponomeuta is locally abundant: I have recorded at least 15 sites this spring between Dingestow and Monmouth.

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