Friday 20th July 2018

Butterfly Species: Speckled Wood (1) Small White (4) Peacock (2) Green Veined White (1) Large White (1) Meadow Brown (8) Red Admiral (1) Silver Washed Fritillary (5) White-letter Hairstreak (1) Gatekeeper (7) Clouded Yellow (1)

Tucking Mill Viaduct
A shorter visit to the path today and fewer butterflies recorded. This was a cooler day temperature wise than of late and increasing levels of cloud. The Buddleja shrubs growing along the path were attracting a few species including Peacock, Silver-washed Fritillary and a lone White-letter Hairstreak.

Silver-washed Fritillary on Buddleja - Tucking Mill

Silver Washed Fritillary are a common sight along the path between the tunnel and Midford. A total of five were counted on this trip. Both males and the slightly more elusive females were seen.




Fewer White-letter Hairstreaks were seen on this trip. The mature Elms near Midford Castle were quiet with only one seen in the canopy. However a Buddleja growing at the beginning of the Tucking Mill viaduct attracted the attention of a slightly battered individual. (See video above). This may even have been the same individual that I spotted there on an earlier trip. 

This Hairstreak species is notoriously elusive and given their habit of  staying high in the canopies of trees, this hot summer has been especially good for seeing them during their short sorties down to nectar on lower growing flowers.

One more treat was in store as I paused near the Wessex Water Fields a little further along the path. A lone lone Clouded Yellow flew off the fields and across the cycleway.  These sulphurous yellow and black butterflies migrate to the UK each year and usually seen in numbers along the south coast. Further north here in Bath they are usually less numerous. Maybe this year will be different!

(Note: 22-07-2018) I decided to take a short ride through the Two Tunnels to Tucking Mill in the evening to check on the White-letter Hairstreaks. They are said to be more inclined to descend in the evenings. Sadly this was not the case today!




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