A fine day for insects

The intermittent rain of the last few days has restricted my wildlife outings. In fact, the planned outing for today was going to be a non-wildlife exploratory walk along the Lee Navigation - but the weather did not bode well.

Instead - as the sky looked clear for a way to the west - I made what was intended as a quick foray into Wanstead Park. It was relatively warm - about 20° - and slightly muggy; the waterproof jacket I'd put on in case didn't do me any favours as I walked into the Park in the sunshine.

Immediately, on the embankment above the Perch Pond, a clump of yellow crucifers - Black Mustard Brassica nigra - drew my attention as there was considerable bee and butterfly activity taking place. Other visitors were paying more attention to the other side of the embankment where the swan-family had decided to sunbathe by the path. On the crucifers - and adjacent thistles - many Honey-bees were busy, together with some bumble-bees, a few Small White butterflies, some Soldier-beetles, a few hoverflies including Eristalis pertinax and the Marmalade hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus, and a larva of a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis. In passing, I noted one House-Martin over Heronry Pond and vaguely reflected on the continuing relative small numbers of these compared to years past. It's true I've been leaving the birding to the very keen and experienced birders and twitchers that are "popping out of the woodwork" these days - but it's also true that the numbers of Martins are way down on what I remember. There were one or two Swifts high overhead, too; the article relates to insects, but I suspect the Swifts were eating these, so they can reasonably be included.

Not an insect thus not included in the textI don't know what the large Red-eared Terrorist (Trachemys scripta elegans) basking on one of the islets on Perch Pond was eating or had eaten, but lots of juvenile Long-tailed Tits were feeding through the trees above the remnants of the little "beach" that used to give such a pleasant view of the pond behind the kiosk until the brambles took over. I guess they were eating insects, too, but the insect that gained my attention was a Brown Hawker dragonfly Aeshna grandis, the only local dragon/damselfy species I hadn't yet managed to photograph. It obligingly landed on a log, where it appeared to to do some egg-laying, and I got my photograph. Out onto the edge of the Plain, and immediately there were Gatekeepers feeding on the brambles bordering Kiosk Wood. Crossing the Plain, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns were flying up all over the place, and a Small Heath couple were busy mating. Grasshoppers were also jumping from everywhere, and some almost flying to somewhere else. I left those to later. There is a patch of disturbed grassland at the North-East corner of the Plain which is still regenerating after the water-pipe work in 2008, and it has some interesting plants, including a small patch of Cornflower. As the habitat is different from the rest of the Plain, activity around it is also different. On the flowers of Yarrow was a brown butterfly, possibly a female Common Blue, which are making a bit of a re-appearance after the first batch early-emergers. Some nice poses - top-side and underside - for the camera. Just across the main track that leads past the Temple to the Ornamental Waters is a large Rhododendron R. ponticum, which some years ago I complained was ill-treated by tree-pruners who allowed a large branch to fall from their work onto. It has never recovered its shape, and other vegetation now grows within it which spoils its appearance. There is a bit of a campaign, I feel, about this species in Wanstead Park; in many parts of the country, indeed, rhododendrons have become a serious pest, but here in Wanstead Park they seem easily controllable and - although they may grow larger - they are not invasive. What a shame, then, that a particularly nice specimen whose flowers by a main track must give a lot of visitors such pleasure, be so ill-treated? Anyway, I looked closely at the remnants of this particular plant - and didn't need too - for the little flying insects that are the one particular creature that makes use of it were flying all around. They are a species of leaf-hopper Graphocephala fennahi which I call the American Leaf-hopper, as they originate from North America. Looked at closely, they are colourful little things, and I was lucky enough to see a male flashing its bright red underside at a female, followed by a bit of copulation.

My intention was to make for the Grotto, where there is a sheltered patch of bramble-and-willow-herb scrub that is very attractive to insects, but was thwarted by workers removing scaffolding from the structure. Instead I made for the Ornamental Waters at the bottom of the Glade (or the Long Walk, as it is now being called). Photographing the Skullcap that grows only by the lake just here, the resident swan was seeing everything off, paying its usual particular attention to Canada Geese. The Fringed Water-lily Nymphoides peltata was just coming into flower, and the swan did turn its attention away from its territorial defence to have a nibble. I've strayed from insects, but the somewhat grim avenue that has developed alongside the lake walking north, together with the darkening skies, did not give much opportunity or enthusiasm for insect-spotting. I had the feeling of heading back to the car before the storm, and made my way somewhat hastily slanting up through Warren Wood to the Glade. Reaching that point, it was naturally a bit brighter out in the open and my interest was re-gained when I spotted a nice clump of Lady's Bedstraw just off the main track. This species used to be more plentiful up here, but like the rabbits, has decreased with the abominable oak-plantation that is making it less glade-like. The bit of rough grassland that is still left, together with bramble and thistle patches, does make a nice environment for insects, though - and certainly Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns were still around, though the sun wasn't.

A continuing hasty walk back past the Temple, where the rain had just begun, but at the kiosk were a few people whom I knew, sheltering. One was Kathy of the Wren Group who had come out for a wildlife walk, so after the rain had blown over we  walked onto the Plain where we soon disturbed a roosting Emperor dragonfly. Heading towards Aldersbrook Exchange Lands, Small Copper butterflies were much in evidence, plus of course the Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns that were so plentiful earlier. Down by the Roding, and heading south along the river, what occurred to me was just how much the Himalayan Balsam was spreading from further south towards the Park. We used the lower track, nearer the river, and spotted a number of the beautiful Banded Demoiselle damselflys Calpoteryx splendens, then started to disturb Peacock butterflies. There seemed to be quite a number of those near the old sewage works fence. Not a Roesel's Bush-cricket!Beginning to head back, we paused in what has always been a good patch of grassland near to the pylon. When I'd been here a day or two earlier, I'd photographed my first Brown Argus of the area, so was hopeful we'd spot another. That wasn't to be, but a colourful insect which I immediately announced as Roesel's Bush Cricket allowed us numerous photographs. I'd been looking for these too, and this was my first of the year. The Buddleia bushes were devoid of almost all insects - a strange phenomena this, and recently mentioned as far as butterflies are concerned by David Attenborough. There wasn't really a shortage of butterflies - in fact there were good numbers of them - but not on the buddleia; is there something else going on? Closest to the buddleia was a nice Comma butterfly, which I haven't seen too many of recently, and further into the grassland and away from what were fast becoming the insects of the day - midges - we found some plump blackberries (and a few less-plump Dewberries) which had just a few Shield-bugs on them, including a tiny creature which I nearly ate, and what I think was a very early instar of a Shield-bug.

This article seems to be going  on a bit, so we cut the walk short at that point (didn't really - I say that in an attempt at brevity), made our way back to the car, then on to that famous eating-pub The Maple-leaf Forever in Leytonstone to eat and review our photographs. Immediately during the review I saw that my brown-butterfly-possibly-female Common Blue was in fact a Brown Argus, and that my instantly-recognised Roesel's Bush-cricket was a Stripe-winged Grasshopper Stenobothrus lineatus. I've never seen one of those before, so I ate my steak pleased with the insect-day.

Paul Ferris, 20th July 2011