Hope everyone is enjoying their easter break? I don't have too much to share with you today other than a few mysteries / firsts. This plant was a complete mystery plant for me at first. I even had to 'phone a friend' (Mike Kilner) who told me straight away what it was and it was not what I was expecting! I thought it was the start of Moonwort type of plant initially but turns out its just a Beech Tree Sapling.. Learn something new everyday!

Another species that stumped me was this Beetle Larvae. I knew it was one of our larger beetle species and looking at the general form / shape of this Larvae, I would have put money on it being an Oil Beetle, but turns out its the more common (but equally as interesting) Bloody-nosed Beetle.

Other notables were my first local breeding pair of Crossbill (!!), my first Orange-tip Butterflies of the year and 3 Common Sandpipers at Llandegfedd. Not rare birds, but it's always nice to get waders at Llandegfedd, especially in this day and age.

So many bugs out in this heat. I wouldn't call myself a professional in this field but I've tried my best to ID the creatures below. First off is a Paederus riparius (Rove Beetle) found today at Magor Marsh followed by lots of mating Green Dock Beetles, so named as they're usually found on Dock Leaves. Picture below that is my personal favourite of a Nursery Web Spider on a plant that I've not seen before called a Red Dead-nettle. Lastly one of my favourite large Beetles which is quite numerous on the Blorenge Mountain called a Bloody Nosed Beetle, so named because it secretes a blood substance to deter predators. The BNB in subject is actually a male and you can tell this by the large feet with yellow pads underneath which the females do not have. The male needs these extra large pads to hold on to the females when mating.

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