Category: field notes

Astronomical autumn doesn’t start for another week, but due to the weather we can take a brief look back at summer now (20. June to 15. September).

Most observed families:

1. Geometridae (67)
2. Crambidae (32)
3. Erebidae (24)
4. Noctuidae (24)
5. Pyralidae (12)
6. Nymphalidae (11)

Observed species:

• Acontia trabealis
• Agapeta hamana
• Aglais io
• Aglais urticae
• Agriphila inquinatella
• Agriphila straminella
• Agriphila tristella
• Alcis repandata
• Apamea unanimis
• Aphantopus hyperantus
• Arctia caja
• Athetis lepigone
• Biston betularia
• Bryotropha terrella
• Calamotropha paludella
• Camptogramma bilineata
• Catarhoe cuculata
• Catarhoe cuculata
• Catocala elocata
• Catoptria falsella
• Catoptria permutatellus
• Catoptria pinella
• Celypha striana
• Cidaria fulvata
• Cosmia pyralina
• Cosmorhoe ocellata
• Cydalima perspectalis
• Cydia pomonella
• Deltote pygarga
• Dendrolimus pini
• Diachrysia stenochrysis
• Eilema complana
• Eilema lurideola
• Ematurga atomaria
• Endothenia quadrimaculana
• Epirrhoe alternata
• Eucosma conterminana
• Eudonia lacustrata
• Eulithis prunata
• Euphyia unangulata
• Eupithecia icterata
• Eupithecia simpliciata
• Evergestis forficalis
• Gonepteryx rhamni
• Gymnoscelis rufifasciata
• Hadena compta
• Harpella forficella
• Hedya ochroleucana
• Herminia tarsicrinalis
• Hoplodrina respersa
• Hyles euphorbiae
• Hypena proboscidalis
• Hypena rostralis
• Hypomecis punctinalis
• Hypsopygia costalis
• Chiasmia clathrata
• Chrysoteuchia culmella
• Idaea aversata
• Idaea aversata
• Idaea deversaria
• Idaea dimidiata
• Idaea fuscovenosa
• Idaea inquinata
• Idaea ochrata
• Idaea seriata
• Idaea straminata
• Issoria lathonia
• Isturgia arenacearia
• Lasiocampa trifolii
• Laspeyria flexula
• Lithosia quadra
• Luperina testacea
• Macaria alternata
• Macroglossum stellatarum
• Maniola jurtina
• Melanargia galathea
• Mesoligia furuncula
• Mythimna albipuncta
• Mythimna pallens
• Nudaria mundana
• Oncocera semirubella
• Ostrinia nubilalis
• Paracolax tristalis
• Parascotia fuliginaria
• Paratalanta hyalinalis
• Pasiphila rectangulata
• Patania ruralis
• Peribatodes rhomboidaria
• Pheosia tremula
• Phragmatobia fuliginosa
• Pieris rapae
• Polygonia c-album
• Polyommatus icarus
• Polypogon tentacularia
• Pyralis farinalis
• Pyrausta despicata
• Rhodostrophia vibicaria
• Rivula sericealis
• Scoliopteryx libatrix
• Scoparia ambigualis
• Scopula immorata
• Scopula marginepunctata
• Scopula nigropunctata
• Scopula rubiginata
• Synaphe punctalis
• Tholera cespitis
• Tholera decimalis
• Timandra comae
• Triodia sylvina
• Vanessa atalanta
• Xanthorhoe ferrugata
• Xestia c-nigrum
• Xestia triangulum
• Xestia xanthographa
• Yponomeuta
• Zygaena loti

This summer ranked among the hottest since measurements began in 1775, with an average temperature of 22.6°C, making it the third hottest, just behind 2019 and 2018. The trend is clear, as five of the six hottest summers have occurred in the last decade.

The drought had a significant impact on vegetation, with trees shedding their leaves prematurely due to stress. Another notable thing is the higher number of sightings of deer and tracks in the nearby wilderness, likely related to changing conditions and the need to seek new water and food sources.

In contrast, there was a noticeable increase in the number of moths, particularly towards the end of the summer when a large number of butterflies, especially Nymphalinae, appeared. To date, I have recorded 235 moth species in my surroundings.

Now, after an extremely hot and dry summer, The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has just issued an extreme flood alert. The forecast is alarming – from Thursday to Sunday, 150 to 250 millimetres of rain is expected in some places, and even over 450 millimetres in the east. The situation is so serious that neighbouring Germany is expecting “millennial water”.

For the last two evenings and nights, when the weather has cooled down by as much as fifteen degrees, no insects have been attracted to the light.

I’m still feeding the wasps sugar water. They can consume everything by the evening. Yet they’re decreasing in numbers, probably their queen is dead. At least they have a retirement in the sugar kingdom.

It was hot as hell. And still is. I can hear storm nearby but no rain here.

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Clear-cutting of the pines of the boundary between the meadows to restore the old path. Trees were cut down near the ground, so the stumps are very low. Uprooted stump is exposing sand and granite boulders under, the ground is covered with a layer of old pine needles and cones.
Poor soil, short sunlit slope, rapidly becoming overgrown – Prunus spinosa, Rosa canina, young sprouts of Quercus petraea, Cytisus scoparius, Achillea millefolium, Hypericum perforatum, Chelidonium majus, some Senecio, sprouts of Euphorbia cyparissias.
Prunus spinosa and Cytisus scoparius are the most successful. 

Beyond the path, there are Prunus avium and Prunus spinosa trees with lichens on their bark – Xanthoria parietina, and some Parmelia with a small Usnea on it.
Nearby, on the road, a Fallopia is climbing the branches up.

A dragonfly flew by (unknown Odonata). In the sand of the path leading from the meadow above the cleared zone are footprints of some smaller deer, probably Capreolus capreolus. 
Several sprouts of Euphorbia cyparissias were occupied by Hyles euphorbiae caterpillars. They were in their 4. moult – what colourful animals to see! It’s They were in their 4. moult – what colourful animals to see!

Another day of summer heat, the soil is dry. Yesterday’s night rain was not enough.

Medicago sativa is blooming in the field behind the garden, it looks like a butterfly farm. Hundreds of specimens fly there. From the edge of the garden, without my glasses, I watched 16 Aglais io at one point. Pieris, Gonepteryx, Plebejus, Issoria lathonia. 

My son and I went to see one of my areas of interest, two small ponds, man-made on the edge of the field and the forest in places where the field was always waterlogged, for there is a spring spot nearby in the forest. The first pond has water flowing slowly from a nearby spring and is overgrown with Typha and Juncus. The second pond, into which the first one overflows, has a minimum of water, half of it is just mud with tracks of Scus scrofa. Many Odonata and butterflies fly around. Around the ponds, the Colchicum autumnale blooms (right, autumn is coming closer). Its Czech (and EU) conservation status is “Least Concern”, so I will definitely be back there to gather specimens for the herbarium.

It would be necessary to set aside enough time and try to map this entire small but diverse biotope!