Whilst the birding has been pretty poor this year, my PSL listing has continued apace with my adding some 570 species to my life list - I started the year on 3011 species and I'm currently on 3582, and not expecting to add anything between today (29th) and the start of the New Year.
So what have been the highlights?
Moths
Making my first forays into moth trapping has been great, and brought quite a few new species - I also seemed to add quite a few new moths away from the trap, sometimes as caterpillars, but sometimes as adults.My top additions this year are all species I've wanted to see for some time and I managed to get at least one in the trap this year.
Top billing has to go to Merveille du Jour, with the runner up spots to Vestal and Chinese Character.
Chinese Character, Cilix glaucata
Beetles
Without doubt my top addition was the Blue Ground Beetle, Carabus, intricatus from Melincwrt, That was, however, a bit of a twitch. My best find was the colourful, and reasonably large, rove beetle Platydracus stercorarius.
Bugs
Again an easy choice, Spiked Shieldbug, Picromerus bidens has evaded me until this year, so it was nice to come across 2 over the year.
Spiked Shieldbug, Picromerus bidens
Remaining insect orders
Two standout finds this year. One I'll leave to the end of this post, the other was part of the bye-catch from the moth trap - a Giant Lacewing, Osmylus fulvicephalus.
Other animals
The standout addition was a slug - the Lemon Slug, Malacolimax tenellus. I know, a slug - something many people think are disgusting and most don't give a second glance to, except to try to kill. But this is quite attractive and unlike most slugs when you handle them this doesn't curl up and do nothing - rather this acts more like a snake or slow worm, in quickly trying to get away. This individual was about eye level on a conifer trunk in the middle of a gloomy patch of dense forestry and just stood out.
Lemon Slug, Malacolimax tenellus
Plants
The highlight plant was a twitch, on the back of twitching the Forester Moth (that didn't even make my top three new moths this year) - the Narrow-lipped Helleborine, Epipactis leptochila. My only new orchid of the year.
Of my own finds, my highlight was Heath Groundsel, Senecio sylvaticus found whilst undertaking my BBS.
Heath Groundsel, Senecio sylvaticus
Fungi
This was close to being my best find of the year, Whilst surveying for Willow Tit, I cam across a mass of Hoof Fungi, Fomes fomentarius. Whilst in itself it's not that spectacular, it was the shear number of fruiting bodies - well into 3 figures - that made this a spectacular find for a species with very few Welsh records.
Hoof Fungi, Fomes fomentarius
As stated above, the Hoof Fungi was close to the top addition to my life list this year. So what beat it. For that we have to go back to virtually the start of 2020 and the Snow Flea, Boreus hyemalis, found some 800m from home. Just wish I managed to get better photo's of it.
Snow Flea, Boreus hyemalis
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