Saturday 5th May 2018

Butterfly Species: Brimstone (8) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Speckled Wood (13) Orange Tip (9) Holly Blue (1) Small White (2) Peacock (1) Green-Veined White (1)

Cycle Path - Approaching Midford Station

The warmest day so far and not surprisingly the highest numbers of butterflies recorded to date (36).The top three species being Speckled Wood, Orange Tip and Brimstone in that order.

The flora has changed subtly with Wild Garlic (Ransoms) now predominating  in many places. Checking the Garlic Mustard flower heads revealed several eggs of the Orange Tip butterfly.

Orange Tip Egg on Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Green-veined, Small and Large Whites were also on the wing. As these species are very similar and very restless in the heat, it was difficult to positively identify them in flight. Consequently, I have probably under-recorded these species.

Demoiselle Damselfly

Other sightings include a brief glimpse of this Demoiselle Damselfly. It is either a Beautiful or Banded Demoiselle. I suspect the latter given that it is early May.

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