1000 and still counting...

We've made very good progress with our garden Bioblitz, and recently passed our target of 1000 species. We're still adding new ones at a fair old rate and are now aiming for 1250 by the end of the year, though Chris suggested we should set the bar higher and go for 1500! That might be pushing it a bit, though I've not yet looked at lichens or algae, fungi have been scarcely dealt with (though many species will probably remain unidentified) and we still have all the autumn moths and crane-flies to come.

I decided I wanted an insect image to mark the day, and was really aiming for something very tiny, but I just couldn't resist this very common bristly tachinid fly Eriothrix rufomaculata, whose larvae are parasites of moth caterpillars. While I was out looking for species to photograph I spotted a brownish micromoth feeding on the flowers of fleabane. I took some photographs and Chris identified it for me - it's completely new to the garden and possibly only the second ever record in the vice-county of Northamptonshire! Amazing what you find by looking very hard...