Page 46 - br-may-2021

May 2021 May 2021

BERE REGIS WILDLIFE AND
ENVIRONMENT GROUP

What a glorious time of year. With the onset of the
warmer weather Spring is now well underway and
wildlife is responding with a burst of activity. The
returning swallows are back with us and all birds are
busy nest building and raising their broods. Trees, with
their flush of new leaf growth, are in now various
shades of wonderful fresh greens and there is an abundance of blossom, most
notably hawthorn. And, of course, there is the beautiful blue haze of our native
bluebells decorating local woods. The annual wild flower meadows in May’s
Wood have been raked and sown, so in a couple of months’ time we should
have another visual delight (and the insects will love it too).

Alder Leaf Beetle

Whilst recently re-fixing bird
boxes and bug hotels along
the riverside path a cluster of
small (7mm long) quite striking
metallic blue beetles were
uncovered (see pictures).
Following some research they
were confirmed to be Alder
Leaf Beetle. Unsurprisingly,
they were found on one of
the Alder trees that line the
river. The Alder Leaf Beetle
has always been regarded as
rare and in the mid 1900s it
was considered to be extinct in the UK. It was rediscovered in Manchester in the
early 2000s and has since seemingly undergone a sudden expansion of range.
The first sightings in Dorset were just a few years ago.
The beetle has one generation a year. Adults overwinter, emerging in early
spring, they are winged and capable of flight. The black caterpillar like larvae
feed on the leaves of alder mainly, although other trees may also be used as a
food source. These larvae can be found on leaves in spring and summer. New
generation adults can be found from mid-summer, and then enter a dormant
phase until the following Spring.

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