Port and Wey: 29 Jun 19

Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve and Pools

What a beautiful sunny day and even better without that gale force wind we had yesterday. Today it was a trip to Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve and though there were plenty of Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites and Ringlets, the only "blue" butterfly recorded was a Holly Blue.

Other butterflies noted were several Speckled Woods, 3 Painted Lady's, 4 Large Skippers and 2 Small Skippers.

Moths seen were 8+ Six-Spot Burnets and a Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata). The latter a new one for me on Portland.

As I was looking at Great Green Bush Cricket I noticed another cricket to the side of it. First glance was that it was a Dark Bush-cricket and then I noticed the green colouration which would suggest that this was a Roesel's Bush-cricket. Unfortunately I have tried 3 separate insect groups on Social Media and nobody can say what it is. Personally I'm going with Roesel's

Also a few new plants for my Portland List. They are: Saint John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), Rosebay Willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium) and Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)

Here are a few images from this morning:

A Painted Lady

And another very worn Painted Lady

I lost count of the Marbled Whites I saw today.

A Speckled Wood

Probably one of the hardest butterflies to photograph, as they are "always" flitting about. And the one chance I get to photograph this Ringlet it's facing the wrong way round. You can just make out the ringlets under the wing to the rear.

A Small Heath in the Butterfly Reserve.

And another Small heat by the pools.

A Dingy Skipper that looks like it has had better days.

A Large Skipper

And another.

A Small Skipper

The same Small Skipper as above.

And another Small Skipper. This is another male

A Holly Blue. The only "blue" butterfly I found today.

A Six-Spot Burnet Moth and in the top left hand corner of the photo, the caterpillar of the same moth.

Another rather worn Six-Spot Burnet Moth.

And another Six-Spot Burnet

This a Yellow Shell moth and my first on Portland.

A Dock Bug.

7-Spot Ladybird

Common Red Soldier Beetles and 2 Ichneumon Wasps

A Great Green Bush Cricket

A Dark Bush-cricket or is it. The green colouration would suggest that this is a Roesel's Bush-cricket and if verified a first for me on Portland.

Another view of it.

This is the second time I have come across this fly and I have yet to ID it. The last time was in Wakeham on 20 Jun Here

A Thick-headed fly - Sicus ferrugineus

Pyramidal Orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis)........

............Sometimes called the Pyramid Orchid.

Another shot.

Saint John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) sometimes...........

.........known as Perforate St John's-wort or Common St John's Wort More on this plant Here.

Rosebay Willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium)............

................ Also known as Fireweed. More on this plant Here.

This is Agrimonia eupatoria and is often called Common Agrimony or...........

..........Church Steeples or Sticklewort.

These appear to be Mediterranean Cypress trees (Cupressus sempervirens). Also known as The Italian Cypress, Tuscan Cypress, Persian Cypress or Pencil Pine. More on this tree Here.

and here are the cones of this Cypress Tree.

Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

A Bee Orchid close to Broadcroft Quarry Pools.

And a close-up, just showing you how it got's its name.

Purple Poppies which weren't............

............here last year, but have just appeared on the bund at the bottom of Broadcroft Quarry Lane. They are called Opium Poppies - Papaver somniferum. More on this poppy Here.

This is Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea) and a really.........

..........beautiful flowering plant. More on this plant Here.

Birds Recorded: Kestrel, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Swift, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 4 Common Whitethroat, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, 150+ Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Linnet.

Butterflies Recorded: Dingy Skipper, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, 7+ Speckled Wood, 2 Small Heath, 4 Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Marbled White, Red Admiral, 3 Painted Lady and 1 Holly Blue

Moths Recorded: 8+ Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae) and a Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata)

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees, Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum) and Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded: 3 Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator)

Flies Recorded: Thick-headed fly (Sicus ferrugineus) and a fly sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 1 7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) and a Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus).

Grasshoppers and Crickets Recorded: Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii) and a Great Green Bush Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima)

Caterpillars Recorded: 1 Six-Spot Burnet Moth

Wakeham

This evening a male Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) landed in the courtyard at the back of the Cottage.

And at 10:20pm I put the moth trap out for the first time this year and within 10 minutes I had a Diamond-back Moth (Plutella xylostella), a Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) 2 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) and a Privet Tortrix (Clepsis consimilana). Can't wait to see what else is in the trap tomorrow morning!!