Radio silence

Broad-bodied chaser. Cwmbran

Its a conspiracy! With two of my children moving house at around the same time and an elderly father who's care needs are demanding more commitment, my naturalist activities are restricted to bite size morsels these days. That said my intermittent lunchtime forays provide some opportunity.The following collection of images are a montage of recent notables.

Redshank. Llandegfedd Reservoir

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Garn Lakes LNR

An isolated pond

There's a small solitary pond on top of a large former coal tip at the Varteg that's an interesting little feature. Not because it supports a cluster of biological rarities but just for its sheer variety. Common water-plantain is not a regular occurrence in the acidic uplands, its a plant more at home in the lowlands. A few sweeps of the trusty net produced the dark blue reed beetle Plateumaris sericea.