Author Archives: Justin Anthony Groves

About Justin Anthony Groves

As a student of Ecology and Conservation at Reading University i am very interested many other insect groups, botany and the interaction in nature. Over a number of blogs I hope to pass my knowledge to others but also gain from the many other interesting posts.

The Brassica ravagers

There are two species on campus which drive the gardener mad! The Large White (Pieris brassicae) and the Small White (Pieris rapae). These species feed on the Brassicales order, especially the Brassicaceae family, the Cabbages and Mustards, to most of … Continue reading

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The Pink Pyramid of Whiteknights

The Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), see image 1, has been found on campus (2012), near the NNE end of the Chemistry building. This is a rare sight on the Whiteknights campus, of what is one of the more visible, common and identifiable orchids found in the … Continue reading

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From The Heart

In the month of July 1977, the Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis) in the Noctuidae family was found on Whitenights campus, produced from the UK famous, Rothamsted moth trapping network, that ran a trap near Whitenights Lake from 1976-1977. This … Continue reading

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Confused with Blues!

Currently recorded on campus are two species of blue coloured butterflies these ar: the Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) and the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus).  To the untrained eye, in flight, they look the same, and telling the difference between the … Continue reading

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Buzz – The Silver Y

Summer is upon us (we hope) and signs have been emerging despite the weather. Today, whilst in the Harris Garden apart from the bees buzzing, the Silver Y moth (Autographa gamma), a regular immigrant to the UK, was extremely common … Continue reading

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Is it a moth, is it a butterfly? Part 2 – The Small Skipper

The Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) is a charming faded orange butterfly of the UK countryside, with a black then white margin that fades into the orange of the wings, see image 1. With a wingspan up to 28mm.

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Is it a moth, is it a butterfly? Part 1 – The Skippers

As is routinely seen across the web, the Hesperiidae (the Skipper butterfly family) suffers from misidentification as moths. So when you’re out and about, and think that’s a day flying moth, stop and double-check, it could be a charming skipper … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Butterflies, Insects, Lepidoptera | 1 Comment

A New Face

Over the next couple of months a great deal of data will be added to the Whiteknights Biodiversity blog. This is a result of funding provided via Reading University UROP (University Research Opportunities Placement –http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/UROP/) to hire a student (myself), to … Continue reading

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Something to spot, something to smell, something to taste!

Its that time of year…. the Othosian  explosion, it’s happening somewhere near you! This involves quaker moths and willow trees This is the time of year to spot some of the most abundant moth species in your garden, as well as … Continue reading

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Biodiversity Records Collection

A question for many of the other authors of the blog! For students and other members. Where are many of the species records on campus from plants-mammals-insects including natives and planted individuals kept on campus ? Is this information all fragmented … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, News, Plants | 2 Comments