Kate O’Leary of @BuglifeScotland took over the Invertebrates Survey Walk on 12 July, when Craig Macadam was unable to join us. We caught and released a lot of bees, including red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) and common carder (Bombus pascuorum). red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) pictured, flies, hoverflies, seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), also a meadow brown butterfly (Maniola jurtina) and a fine grayling (Hipparchia semele) see above. Also buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), honey bee (Apis mellifera), ichneumon wasp (Ichneumon sp.), spider wasp (Pompilidae sp.), and garden grass-moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella).
Botanist Ben Averis led the plant and tree survey walk on 6 July and again we found new species. Illustrated below are the spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare), and the moss, (Hypnum cupressiforme). However potentially the most attractive discovery was an area of harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) east of the National Monument.
