Teesmouth Bird Club

Hi Mike, that's a Digger Wasp, Ectemnius sp. There are a few similar species, with cephalotes, cavifrons & sexcinctus being found in our area.

Dave

Hi Ian, the Common Blue in your first post is a Brown Argus. You can see the 2 spots on the underside of the hindwing forming a figure-8 or colon, and Common Blue has an extra spot on the forewing near to the body.

Dave

This is an Old Lady Moth Richard. So-called because its wing pattern is supposed to look like a shawl worn by an elderly lady.

Dave

Seen this afternoon near Commondale.

Taken in the last week of March, about a month later than I saw them last year. The markings on the head and neck are unique to each snake, and by comparing photos, I've been able to ID 3 individuals that I've seen in previous years.
As well as the usual males I expect to see at this time of year, there was also a tiny juvenile (the orangey-coloured one) nearby, no more than about 4 inches long.

Dave

Definitely Brown Argus Mike. The abdomen length shows it's a male, so that rules out Common Blue female!

Was the DGF also from South Gare?

Cheers,

Dave

These sound like Sphecid wasps, probably of the genus Ectemnius. There are a number of similar species - I've found 3 in our region. They all nest in dead timber, and stock the nests with paralysed flies which provide food for the developing larvae.
Your find highlights the importance of dead wood as a habitat, which sometimes isn't recognised by people who should know better. Many years ago I found a colony of these wasps in a fallen tree limb at Brewsdale nature reserve near Hilton. When I went back a few days later, a Wildlife Trust work party had "tidied" it up, and the wasp colony ended up on the bonfire! This also demonstrates why it is better to share wildlife records!

Dave