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152.

5th May 1942, cont.

(2 P.M.) watched a ♀︎ Vespa austriaca investigating one of the little upright Juniper bushes in back garden & apparently getting something it liked off the young terminal shoots.  Dryas in flower in front garden, Lilly of the Valley in back garden & Mr. Ellison's white lilac in garden next door out (possibly out a day or two?), but the purple lilac nearer his home not yet out.

6th May 1942.
Euphorbia hiberna (old plant) in front garden in flower though not noticed in flower previous night when I was cutting hedge.

6th to 10th May 1942.
Dry & cold with strong E. winds.  10th very cold & dull with some rains towards evening.

11th May 1942.
Rain & drizzle at intervals most of day.

12th-14th May 1942.
Still E. wind & little sun:  cold.

15th.
Clouds SW. but wind SE. with rain off & on all day:  some quite heavy:  warmer.

During the above period nearly all remaining plants in garden came into flower.  Candytuft (self sown 1941), Hieraceum, Veronica saxatilis, &c.


153.

9th May 1942.
E. O'Mahony took by beating in St. Anne's, Clontarf, Co. DU. the following hymenoptera:-
Stenomacrus cf. concinnus  ♂︎ ant. 28;
Thersilochus?  ♀︎, ant. 25;
Meteorus melanostictus?  ♂︎ ant. 34;
Bracon  ♂︎ & ♀︎, ant. 25 & 26/27 respectively.

15th May 1942.
In evening watched a very faded ♀︎ Bombus jonellus assiduously working the few flowers on Andromeda polyfolia in the tub in back garden, though not seen this year at the Mediterranean Heath (still in good flower) at other end of garden (possibly owing to dry cold winds the M. Heath was not secreting any nectar this year:  flowers looked rather wizened!).
Pinguicula grandiflora (2 plants:  3rd died 1941!) in soup-plate in motor house both with flowers one of which opened today.  These plants collected by Art O'Murnaghan on Slieve Mish, Kerry, about Xmas 1936, have flowered every year since, though leaves &c. now no larger than the common P. vulgaris!

On evening of 19th May 1942 a ♀︎ Polyblastus had emerged during previous 24 hours, & was carrying 5 larvae, in pot with sawfly larvae from Slade Brook, Co. DU. taken on hazel & willow in Oct. 1941.

From 11th to 18th May 1942 2♂︎♂︎, 4♀︎♀︎ Aphidius near exiguus Hal. were bred from Aphides taken on leaves of Cardamine pratensis earlier in the month in back garden, 14 Clareville Rd., Harold's Cross, Co. DU.