Today was all about the butterflies with well over 150 seen of 11 species. Incredibly I didn't see a single "Blue" butterfly.
Other highlights were 3 Swallows, a Common Whitethroat by the cuttings, two Blackcaps around the wildlife site and a Chiffchaff singing from the top of one of the trees along Old Quarry Lane.
Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
3 Swallow
Dunnock
Blackbird
1 Common Whitethroat
2 Blackcap
1 Chiffchaff
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
This Chiffchaff was singing............
...............in Old Quarry Lane
Feral pigeon
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
1 Dragonfly sp. (A large blue-coloured individual along Easton Railway Cuttings)
This is what you call jammy photography with no skill required. Just face the lens at a fast moving dragonfly, fire off twenty or so shots, whilst trying to keep up with it, and hope for the best. The best of the bunch of a Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator.
Butterflies Recorded:
4 Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
20+ Large White Pieris brassicae
20+ Small White Pieris rapae
5 Green-veined White Pieris napi
5 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
10+ Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
20+ Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
10+ Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
20+ Marbled White Melanargia galathea
2 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
2 Peacock Aglais io
Despite seeing a good number of Ringlets Aphantopus hyperantus, I just couldn't find a settled one to photograph. The best I could do was this one flying across in front of me. Moving on!!
I'll hold my hand up and admit that when I photographed this Meadow Brown, I thought there was just the one butterfly. A pair of mating Meadow Browns in Easton Railway Cuttings.
On the flower of this Bramble (Rubus fruticosusa) were a Marbled White (Melanargia galathea), Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum), a spider sp. and a bug sp.
Moths Recorded:
And it wasn't just a great day for butterflies, but I also came my first Vestal moth Rhodometra sacraria since I moved here on 30 May 17.
My first Cinnabar moth Tyria jacobaeae this Summer. I came across this individual in Easton Railway Cuttings. Ever year I see many larvae but only the occasional adult moth.
Bees Recorded:
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Another Common Knapweed and just taking off another Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius. Above it is a male Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis, below a bee sp. and far left a Syrphus Hoverfly sp. in flight.
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
2 Ichneumon Wasp sp.
Hoverflies Recorded:
1 Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria
1 Pellucid Hoverfly Volucella pellucens
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Pieris Parasite Fly Epicampocera succincta
There is not a single thing right about this photo. However you can just make out the shape of a Sweat Bee sp. in the centre of this Field Scabious Knautia arvensis and the yellow head of a Thick-headed Fly Sicus ferrugineus on the far right.
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
1 Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera
Common Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus
Lacewings and Scorpionflies Recorded:
Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea
........is Rosebay Willowherb Chamaenerion angustifolium. It also goes by the name of Fireweed. More on this plant here and here.
Despite the intensive scrub removal there were still quite a few butterflies about in the old Easton Railway Cuttings. Hopefully next Spring it will look amazing again.
Ted:
4 Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
20+ Large White Pieris brassicae
20+ Small White Pieris rapae
5 Green-veined White Pieris napi
5 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
10+ Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
20+ Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
10+ Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
20+ Marbled White Melanargia galathea
2 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
2 Peacock Aglais io
A Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris in Easton Railway Cuttings
A Small White Pieris rapae
Green-veined White Pieris napi
A Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
A very worn Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina.
As the Meadow Browns begin to fade so the freshly emerged Gatekeepers Pyronia tithonus begin to show.
On the flower of this Bramble (Rubus fruticosusa) were a Marbled White (Melanargia galathea), Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum), a spider sp. and a bug sp.
And another Marbled White.
Just the one Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta seen today.
A Peacock Aglais io sat on a Cotoneaster.
Vestal moth Rhodometra sacraria
Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella
Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella
Hook-streaked Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus
Cinnabar moth Tyria jacobaeae
A Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella.
And a Hook-streaked Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
Honey Bee Apis mellifera
A Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius on Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra.
A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris heads towards these Bramble flowers.
And we have lift off as this Honey Bee Apis mellifera leaves these Bramble flowers..........
................ for another.
2 Ichneumon Wasp sp.
An Ichneumon Wasp sp. with a Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva photo-bombing my shot.
1 Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria
1 Pellucid Hoverfly Volucella pellucens
8+ Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
2 Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
My first Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria of the year.
And another first for the year was this Pellucid Hoverfly Volucella pellucens. AKA Pied Plumehorn
A very poor shot of a Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
A Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
Pieris Parasite Fly Epicampocera succincta
Thick-headed Fly Sicus ferrugineus
Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
House Fly Hydrotaea sp.
Flesh Fly Sarcophaga sp.
A new fly for my list. This is a Pieris Parasite Fly Epicampocera succincta. More on this fly here.
A Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
A House Fly Hydrotaea sp.
And a Flesh Fly Sarcophaga sp.
A Tachinid fly Phania funesta
30+ Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis
30+ Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea
2 Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina
30+ Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea
2 Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina
My first Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva this year. And........
.............they were everywhere.
A Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea
A pair of Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina mating.
1 Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera
Common Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus
A Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera
A Common Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus
Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea
A Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea
Slugs and Snails Recorded:
Garden Snail Cornu aspersa
White-lipped Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis
Large Red Slug Arion ater
Spiders Recorded:
1 Cucumber Green Orb Spider Araniella cucurbitina
On the underside of this Field Scabious is a Cucumber Green Orb Spider Araniella cucurbitina with a Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
Plants:
1 Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis
Biting Stonecrop Sedum acre
Hedge Bedstraw Galium album
Garden Snail Cornu aspersa
White-lipped Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis
Large Red Slug Arion ater
Spiders Recorded:
1 Cucumber Green Orb Spider Araniella cucurbitina
Plants:
1 Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis
Biting Stonecrop Sedum acre
Hedge Bedstraw Galium album
Rosebay Willowherb Chamaenerion angustifolium
Common Toadflax Linaria vulgaris
Old Man’s Beard Clematis vitalba
It was good to see that...........
...............there was at least one Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis in flower.
And these yellow flowering plants are.................
.............Biting Stonecrop Sedum acre.
This is Hedge Bedstraw Galium album
This tall pink flowered plant........
Common Toadflax Linaria vulgaris. AKA Yellow Toadflax and Butter-and-eggs
Old Man’s Beard Clematis vitalba. AKA Travellers’ Joy and Wild Clematis.
General Photos:
Ted:
Ted taking it easy. At least there was shade, water and a treat when he caught up with me.