Little Eye & Gramborough Hill


Little Eye
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Looking west from the Little Eye towards the East Bank at Cley

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Eastern Sand Wasp (Podalonia affinis)

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Silvery Leafcutter Bee (Megachile leachella)

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You can clearly see the wing venation pattern in the fore wing.

It has two submarginal cells, the pattern of which seem to place it as an

Arachnospila sp?

But there are seven species that have a similar but subtly different pattern?

Ah but

There was actually even more of a clue to the id of this particular wasp.

LittleEyeDiag210823-1

And it did in fact turn out to be a wasp that has only recently arrived in Norfolk in the last couple of years.

A Pompilid Wasp (Spider Wasp)

Evagetes pectinipes

A cleptoparasite of other Pompilids, possibly of Episyron rufipes

Under a microscope this species also only has double not treble toothed mandibles.

Thanks to Nick Owens for id help

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Wasp Sp?

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Looking towards the Little Eye from the east.


Gramborough Hill

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Ant Nest Ladybird (Platynaspis luteorubra)

From Andrew Jewels - Inconspicuous Ladybirds

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?

GramboroughHillBeetle210823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Beetle Sp?

Trechnus obtusus? perhaps

Gramborough Hill 21/08/23 TG 08679 44204


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GramboroughHillEcruciger210823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

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GramboroughHillEcruciger210823-4-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GramboroughHillEcruciger210823-5-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Epeolus Sp♀︎(Red scutellum)

Black-thighed Epeolus (Epeolus variegatus)

GramboroughHillFlySp210823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GramboroughHillFlySp210823-3-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GramboroughHillFlySp210823-4-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Fly Sp

Miltogramma Sp?

Spotted Satellite Fly (Miltogramma punctata)

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GramboroughHillFlySp2210823-2

GramboroughHillFlySp2210823-3-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Fly Sp?

Fever Fly ♀︎ (Dilophus febrilis)

GramboroughHillLadybird210823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

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14 Spot Ladybird? (Propylea quatupordecimpunctata)?

GramboroughHilllFlySp3210823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Fly Sp?

Fever Fly♂︎(Dilophus febrilis)

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GramboroughHillSeaAsterMBee210823-6-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GramboroughHillSeaAsterMBee210823-7-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GramboroughHillSeaAsterMBee210823-8-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GramboroughHillSeaAsterMBee210823-9-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GramboroughHillSeaAsterMBee210823-10-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

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Sea Aster Mining Bee (Colletes halophilus)

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Spider Sp?

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GramboroughHillThing210823-4-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

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Plant Hopper Sp

Dicranotropis hamata

GramboroughHillWeevil210823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

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Weevil Sp?

Comments

Roydon Common

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Heath Sandwasp (Amophila pubescens) with prey.

A southern UK species with outlying sites in North Norfolk.

Just that little bit smaller than its near relative the Red-banded SandWasp (Ammophila sabulosa)

This caterpillar was just too heavy for her to fly with but she wasn't going to give it up.

She carried it over the sand with various twists and turns for a
good eighty feet. (and that was the bit I saw.)

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The burrow was already prepared and she quickly ducked in almost spat out this bit of brushwood plugging the hole.

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She then dragged the caterpillar into the burrow backwards.

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Then she set about filling up the burrow.

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Bit of packing down

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Then brushwood

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Really packing it down.

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The stalked third submarginal cell on the forewing

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More packing down

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More brushwood

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Then backwards scrabbling of sand into the hole

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Packing down

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More scrabbling of sand

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Levelling off

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So finally nothing can be seen of the burrow

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Beetle Sp

Rose Chafer perhaps?

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It is difficult to convey in a photograph the complexity of nest burrows in the sand on the path that crosses the reserve.

In the area below the sand flash on the track there are so many small burrows.

You can see some are freshly open by the darker moist soil humps.

There are just so many packed into such a small area. On the sand flash itself the surface is so disturbed from where
people have been playing on the sand you wonder how the colony manages to cope.

But they do.

And all the while a few inches above the surface there is the constant criss crossing of bees flying.

Whether anyone could write an algorithm to explain the flight pattern is open to question.

Largely the males, presumably, hoping for mating opportunities The females do seem to make themselves available in slight open depressions in the sand and then there is a convergence of males until one takes hold.

But it doesn't take long, although occasionally the female flies off as if not convinced.

The tussle on the ground begins between the pair (I wonder whether ecstatic tussle would be a better explanation. There is certainly a lot of waving of the females legs in this species)

And the other males fly off in myriad of directions.

In amongst all this the orange of their Nomad can be seen dropping onto possible nests ripe for predation.


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RoydonCommonSSMBee160823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

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♀︎

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RoydonCommonSSMBee160823-6-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

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♂︎

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RoydonCommonSSMBee160823-12-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

They have a very frenzied mating.

Afterwards it looks as though both sexes can often be a little disoriented.

The females sit a while before flying off.

The males can be seen skittering about on the ground or having trouble negotiating stones or grass stems.

But then again there can also be very quick attempts at mating as a female is quickly disappearing in her burrow.

Whether these are successful or not….?

And again the most amazing things are the females ability to find their nests in the sand when the surface is so disturbed, coupled with the speed they disappear into the burrows.

RoydonCommonSSMBee160823-13-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

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Head down and within seconds she has disappeared

♀︎

Small Sandpit Mining Bee (Andrena argentata)



The Small Sandpit Mining Bee has cuckoo bee that predates its nests.

RoydonCommonNomada160823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Said Cuckoo found a nest to predate.

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She was underground for about twenty minutes

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and
then
she reappeared

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But she didn't fly off straightaway

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After a bit of reorientation presumably
She set to and thoroughly cleaned herself off.

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Eyes

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Antennae

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Mandible

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Antennae and top of the head

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Almost done

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One final go at the left eye before flying off

I guess because they don't do all the excavating it's a bit more of a trial for them to go underground.

The host bees themselves are so much quicker at going in and out.

Small Bear-clawed Nomad Bee (Nomada baccata)

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A rather nice jumping spider caught my eye today but not long enough to meet eye to eye.

Aellurilus v-insignitus

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Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi)

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Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea)

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Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallus)

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Marsh Cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum)

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Kidney shaped capsules

Marsh Speedwell (Veronica scutellata)

GrimstonWarren160823-4-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula)

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Purple Loosestrife (Lathyrum salicaria)

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GrimstonWarrenPLoosestrife160823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GrimstonWarrenPLoosestrife160823-2-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GrimstonWarrenPLoosestrife160823-4-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GrimstonWarrenPLoosestrife160823-5-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GrimstonWarrenPLoosestrife160823-6-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

GrimstonWarrenPLoosestrife160823-7-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Purple Loosestrife (Lathyrum salicaria)

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Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica)

Comments

Broadland Country Park

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Sand Wasp Sp? Amophila Sp?

Most likely

Red banded Sand Wasp (Ammophila sabulosa)?

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BCPBeech150823-2-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Beech Nut (Fagus sylvatica)

BCPCorydalis150823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Climbing Corydalis (Ceratocapnos sylvatica)

BCPDungFly150823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME 1

Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

BCPEpysiron150823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPEpysiron150823-2-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPEpysiron150823-3-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPEpysiron150823-4-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Episyron Sp?

This one doesn't have red legs.

Possibly

Episyron gallicum?

with spider prey (Araneus Sp)? Araneus quadratus

Thanks to Vanna Bartlett for Spider id

BCPHarvestman150823-2-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPHarvestman150823-3-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

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BCPHarvestman150823-9-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPHarvestman150823-10-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Harvestmen Sp?

Phalangium opilio ♂︎

BCPHeatherColletes150823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPHeatherColletes150823-3-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Heather Colletes (Colletes succinctus)

BCPMarvensis150823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPMarvensis150823-2-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPEctimnius150823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Field Digger Wasp (Mellinus arvensis)

BCPOxybelus150823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPOxybelus150823-2-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPOxybelus150823-3-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPOxybelus150823-4-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

BCPOxybelus150823-6-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Common Spiney-digger (Oxybelus uniglumis)

A wasp that catches flies living on the sand pile.

BCPSpider150823-1-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

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BCPSpider2150823-2-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME

Spider Sp?

Araniella Sp?

Not quite

an

Enoplognatha Sp?

Again thanks to Vanna Bartlett for correction.

Comments