Sawfly adventures in May (most of, and a bit of April)

My blog remains somewhat sporadic, but this is partly for the good reason that it's because I've been finding lots of sawflies. I'm finding the process of catching, labelling, curating, pinning, identifying somewhat heavy going, but am persevering in the hope it gets easier in due course. Anyway, I haven't left myself much time for blogging, but here's a quick update since last time. I'm including things I've currently identified, although there's lots more (well about 50 more specimens) I've still not sorted out yet.

Sun 29th Apr - found Macrophya alboannulata in the garden (Shotesham), under an elder (the foodplant). Wasn't aware of this "new" (i.e. 1980s!) split, so good to learn about it.

Tues 1st May - Dolerus nigratus netted in Thetford.

Fri 4th May - caught Dolerus nigratus by hand early morning in Shotesham. Later at the Nunnery Lakes in Thetford, found 7 sawflies but to date have only identified Athalia cordata successfully (most of the others are Nematinae which I'm leaving til later in the year).

Sat 5th May - in Shotesham, found Macrophya alboannulata, Dolerus niger, D. nigratus and D. triplicatus. Also went for a hunt around Ashwellthorpe Wood and found 11 sawflies, including Athalia cordata, Nematus lucidus, Claremontia alternipes, Eutomostethus ephippium and Pachyprotasis rapae.

Sun 6th May - in the garden, the rolled rose leaves of Blennocampa phyllocolpa were beginning to be in evidence, and closer inspection lots of the tiny adults were visible around the roses.

Mon 7th May - bank holiday, so we went for an early morning trip to the beach at Covehithe (Suffolk, I know, sorry). I was pleased to find Pamphilius hortorum here, as well as the tiny Hoplocampa chrysorrhoea.

Tue 8th May - back in Thetford, I was surprised to net Strongylogaster multifasciata by the river in an area apparently devoid of ferns, which this species is normally found on.

Wed 9th May - a lunchtime walk at Thetford Nunnery produced Athalia cordata, A. lugens, Dineura stilata and several Hoplocampa crataegi (small sawflies beaten from hawthorn blossom)

Thu 10th May - went over to Shropshire to attend the annual conference of the NFBR (National Forum for Biological Recording). In the evening, we found Dolerus sanguinicollis in the grounds of the FSC's Preston Montford headquarters.

Fri 11th May - still at Preston Montford in Shropshire, in the evening I was shown my first Iris Sawfly Rhadinoceraea micans by Ian Wallace (national caddisfly expert), plus also noted Aglaostigma fulvipes.

Sat 12th May - a small group of us from the conference went on a field trip to Brown Moss in Shropshire. I found several sawflies, and Ryan Clark kindly netted me several more. To date I've identified Dolerus madidus, D asper, Tenthredo colon, Rhogogaster viridis, Birka cinereipes and Apothymus serotinus (the latter as a larva, which I appear to have failed to rear successfully - feeding it the wrong oak perhaps?)

Sun 13th May - back in Norfolk again, lots of Blennocampa phyllocolpa still in the garden, and I found Dolerus picipes elsewhere in the village.

Tue 15th May - at Thetford Nunnery Lakes, my first Eriocampa ovata of the year, plus Dolerus nigratus and D sanguinicollis.

Fri 18th May - a lunchtime walk to the Nunnery Lakes produced the impressive Macrophya annulata plus Hoplocampa crataegi still.

Sat 19th May - spent the day around Shotesham, finding Arge nigripes, Dolerus niger, Aglaostigma fulvipes, Empria alector (I think, would be a new species for Norfolk too), Dolerus vestigialis, Blennocampa phyllocolpa and Macrophya alboannulata.

Sun 20th May - again around Shotesham all day, noting Dolerus nigratus, Ametastegia tenera, Aglaostigma fulvipes and Pontania proxima, the latter in the form of the first galls in leaves of White Willow.

Mon 21st May - lunchtime in Thetford produced Aglaostigma fulvipes, Aglaostigma aucupariae, Pontania proxima (galls) and Dolerus sanguinicollis.

Wed 23rd May- lunchtime in Thetford produced Calameuta pallipes and Athalia lugens.

Thu 24th May - another lunchtime walk to the Nunnery Lakes and I found Tenthredo mesomela and several Athalia circularis; the latter I'm confused about because they're around a patch of Skullcap where I found Athalia scutellariae last year, but these are definitely not that species.

Fri 25th May - again in Thetford, noted a fine Tenthredopsis litterata plus Birka cinereipes and Blennocampa phyllcolpa.

And that takes me up to this weekend, when I've found plenty more around Shotesham and at Surlingham Church Marsh, but mostly not yet identified yet. So that'll do for now.