30 Jun 18

Tout Quarry

Just a flying visit to Tout Quarry this afternoon, to see if I could track down the Grayling butterflies there. And I managed three, in exactly the same two spots I recorded them a couple of days ago.

Also about were Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Lulworth Skipper, Large White, lots of Ringlets & Meadow Browns, Marbled White, 1 Red Admiral, a Speckled Wood and 4 "blue" butterflies.

A few moths about with several Six-spot Burnet moths, 2 Scarlet Tiger (Callimorpha dominula), a beautifully coloured Rosy-striped Knot-horn (Oncocera semirubella) and a plume moth sp.. Unfortunately a couple of walkers put the latter up as I was about to photograph it.

I know not why, but why is that the only Common Darters I keep finding are all females!! They are certainly "common" on Portland as this the third spot I have come across one.

Also recorded: Great Green Bush-cricket, Meadow Cricket, Common Soldier Beetles, Swollen-thighed Beetles, Tiger Cranefly (Nephrotoma flavescens), dozens of Red-tailed Cuckoo-bees and a mason bee sp. maybe!

Here are a few images from today

Tout Quarry. Famous for its sculptures and well worth a visit for the number of butterfly species here.

This area was great for Graylings, next to the "Still Falling" sculpture

One of the three Graylings here today.

Lots of Meadow Browns.

They are certainly very numerous on Portland.

A Speckled Wood

Still plenty of Marbled Whites on the wing.

What a difficult butterfly to photograph. Always on the wing apart from this one. A Ringlet.

A female Large Skipper

A Scarlet Tiger, a new moth for me on Portland..

Six-spot Burnet Moth

A beautifully coloured Rosy-striped Knot-horn (Oncocera semirubella). As I knelt down to photograph it, it flew up onto my hand.

Another female Common Darter. where are all the males!!

A Tiger Cranefly

Great Green Bush-cricket, Tettigonia viridissima

Another angle

Meadow Cricket

In the left corner a Swollen-thighed Beetle and in the right a Common Soldier Beetle.

A mason bee maybe.

Lovely to hear a male Robin singing away in the quarry.

Note: Yesterday evening as I was checking the chickens I heard at least 2 Common Cranes calling. Try as I could, I couldn't locate them. Was someone watching cranes on a Nature programme or were there a couple of birds flying overhead. I guess I'll never know!!