Field Maple and Beetles at DMNR

Today I went down to Denso Marston Nature Reserve again to get a firm ID on a tree that I thought was a Field Maple but was, sort of, hoping was an Alder. Steve confirmed that it was a Field Maple (Acer campestre)

This then makes me question the ID of the beetles found on it. I am pretty sure they are Alder Leaf Beetles but what are they doing on an Acer?

I have also spotted one (ONE) of these beetles on a silver birch but that is a bit different to having the the hundreds on the Field Maple. The adult beetles will have overwintered under ground or in leaf litter and emerged recently, so why not climb up the nearest tree? I expect that when the weather warms up they will be off looking for Alder trees.

One of the surprises of my visit was to spot a pair of Gadwall again. I was able to show them to Steve who seemed pleased with the sighting. They are really a flooded gravel pit inhabitant so it is strange to see them on the river. Across the river on the other bank a male pheasant was wondering along eating as it went. I didn’t spot a female today.

On the path back to Otley Road I spotted some Capillary Thread Moss on the fence again, so this time I took a photo of it using my macro lens and ring flash – hence the very dark background. Further along the path, because I still had the flash on the camera I took the photos of the Ivy and Poplar buds.

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