Saxifraga Sub-section Holophyllae Engler & Irmscher: Two narrow-endemic members of this sub-section from the Italian Dolomites (Saxifraga facchinii Koch and Saxifraga depressa Sternberg) plus three others which are more widespread

On botanical visits to the Dolomites in 1998 and 1999, I managed to locate and photograph two very rare endemic species of Saxifrage both of which have an extremely narrow range of distribution. Both are members of Saxifraga Subsection Holophyllae, of whose 11 species, ten are endemic to Europe (and mainly to the Alps) and characterised by having entire or somewhat trilobed leaves. All members only occur at high altitudes. An additional more widespread member of the sub-section, Saxifraga sedoides L., was also present in the Dolomites whilst two other members: Saxifraga androsacea L. and S. muscoides Allioni were seen and photographed in the French Alps earlier. The photographs have been scanned in from transparencies and unfortunately this has resulted in a loss of quality.

The Sassolungo/Langkofel massif (the Forcella di Sassolungo is the col to the right)

Saxifraga facchinii was first discovered in the 19th Century by Francesco Facchini, a doctor living in Vigo di Fassa. The plant grows at high elevation as small cushions in scree and other debris on dolomitic limestone rock, usually at altitudes between 2200 and 2800 metres. It is found nowhere other than in an area of approx. 25 x 20 kilometres extent from the Rosengarten massif northwards to the Sassolungo and to Piz Pordoi. Petal colour can vary appreciably and especially from yellow to purple-pink. Flowering occurs in July and, whilst a most attractive potential horticultural plant, it has never persisted in cultivation.

Photographed on Piz Pordoi (purple-pink form) and the Forcella di Sassolongo (yellow form) in July 1998..

Saxifraga depressa was first found by Bartolomeo Franco at the beginning of the 19th Century. Although within the same taxonomic subsection as S. facchinii it has quite a different habit and bears pure white flowers. The epithet ‘depressa’ is thought to refer to its rather flattened leaf rosettes. A very interesting fact is that it is virtually restricted to black porphyritic intrusions in the dolomite, especially on damp scree, and only between 2100 and 2600 metres. As is the case with S. facchinii, it is also restricted to a very limited area of the western Dolomites from Arabba and a little way southwards. It is a very scarce plant with only about 12 localities known.

Saxifraga depressa (photos above and below - flowering and fruiting plants) on the Porto Vescovo above Arabba in July 1999

Saxifraga sedoides (photo below) is much more widespread than the two discussed above and is quite frequent in the Italian Dolomites. It was photographed there on the Gardena Pass in 1998.

Saxifraga androsacea (photo below) occurred in small isolated patches on wet micaceous scree on the Col de l’Iseran, French Alps in August 1997..

Plants of Saxifraga muscoides (photo below) occurred very locally as small cushions on the limestone also at the summit of the Col de l’Iseran in August 1997.

The Red Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) in a Darwen, Lancashire, garden

November 29, 2012:

A Red Lily Beetle was found on lily tubers in a garden in Darwen today despite the recent cold, frosty weather. This appears to be well outside its normal time of emergence. The larvae feed on the tubers and are the scourge of the lily cultivator. Similar in size to the 7-spot Ladybird, they are much more strikingly bright red in colour.

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Some recent Coleoptera (Beetles)

A range of Coleoptera from tiger beetles to ladybirds has been photographed recently and some of these are now shown here.

Dune Tiger Beetle (Cicindela hybrida), Ainsdale dunes, Lancashire, September 6, 2012.
 Only known in Britain from limited areas of the west Lancashire and Cumbrian coasts 

Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris), Foulshaw Moss, Cumbria, September 20, 2011

Devil's Coach Horse (Ocypus olens) Silverdale, Lancashire, October 7, 2011

A burying beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides, Brockholes Wetlands, Lancashire, August 31, 2011

Hazel Leaf Roller (Apoderus coryli) Silverdale, September 29, 2012

Alder leaf beetle (Agelastica alni), Brockholes Wetlands, October 8, 2012. This is currently the most northerly record in Britain

Blue Willow Beetle (Phratora vulgatissima), Brockholes Wetlands, October 8, 2012

A soldier beetle (Rhagonchya fulva), Brockholes Wetlands, July 10, 2011

 A ground beetle (Pterostichus madidus), Latterbarrow, Cumbria, July 3, 2012

Green Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus), Brockholes Wetlands, May 6, 2012

A leaf beetle (Chrysolina polita), Brockholes Wetlands, August 19,2011

Malachius coccineus, Nikoklea, Cyprus, April 22, 2012

A longhorn beetle (Leptura [Strangalia] maculata), Premanon, Jura, France, July 19, 2012

Water Ladybird (Anisosticta novemdecimpunctata), Brockholes Wetlands, September 9, 2011

Cream-spot Ladybird (Calvia quattuordecimguttata), Brockholes Wetlands, August 31, 2011

16-spot Ladybird (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata), Eckington,Worcestershire, June 20, 2012

14-spot Ladybird (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata), Brockholes Wetlands, September 8, 2011 

11-spot Ladybird (Coccinella undecimpunctata), Brockholes Wetlands, November 6, 2012

 

10-spot Ladybird (Adalia decempunctata), Brockholes Wetlands, August 30/September 2, 2011



Large Blue (Maculinea arion) at Collard Hill, Somerset

June 28, 2012: (a belated posting)
A long day's round-trip to Collard Hill, near Glastonbury, fortunately coincided with some warm and periodically sunny weather. This is one of the sites where the formerly extinct Large Blue butterfly has been recently re-introduced. Here, on the south-facing sunny slopes is the ideal habitat with abundant wild thyme food-plant and the equally essential symbiotic red ant (Myrmica sabuleti) present in quantity.

In a four-hour period at least eight Large Blues were seen (including two very worn specimens and a female egg-laying on thyme), although they rarely settled and were extremely difficult to follow over the very steep slopes. They were also reluctant to fly other than in full sunshine and it was especially frustrating when a cloud bank settled overhead and darkened the slope although bright sunshine could be seen on the fields close by. Despite this, it was possible to eventually obtain a few photographs.

An ovipositing female

A very worn individual

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Roesel's Bush-crickets (Metrioptera roeselii) in Lancashire

August 10 & 31, 2012:
A small population of Roesel's Bush-crickets was first located near the coast at Fleetwood about twenty years ago. This is well to the north of the normal British range of this usually southern species and had presumably originated by individuals having been brought into the area accidentally with the help of man.

Female

A recent search of the site on the above dates indicated it to be now well established and likely to have extended its local range appreciably. Males were singing regularly amongst rough grasslend and bramble over a 200 metres stretch of a low sheltered embankment.

A male flexing his antennae

These are quite attractive crickets, easily recognised by the prominent broad cream-coloured edge to the side plates of the pronotum. At one point at least four separate individuals were seen in a small 15cm diameter area within a bramble patch, one male rapidly flexing his long antennae to ward off another intruder.

Close-up views of a male (above)

A late nymphal stage female

Three Grasshopper species at Ainsdale, Lancashire

July 30 & August 2:
An area of sandy grassland near to a major nature reserve at Ainsdale had three species of grasshopper. In short dry turf where there were rabbit scrapes in the sandy soil, Mottled Grasshopper (Myrmeleotettix maculatus) was very frequent and present in a wide range of colour forms varying from green, through brown, to black. This is a relatively small grasshopper in comparison to the two other species found here: the Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus) widespread across most of the area and the Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus) restricted to the longer, more dense grassland on the west side. Some colour forms of the Mottled Grasshopper are shown below and may result from cryptic adaptation to the habitat.

Green forms above, brown forms below

A black form of the Mottled Grasshopper

Two colour forms of the Field Grasshopper also occur here: a brown one which is the commoner, and a green one. This species is very hairy below the abdomen which can also have a reddish tip.

Field Grasshopper in  two colour forms

On the other hand the Common Green Grasshopper was only found in its most typical form.