Monday 13th August 2018

Butterfly Species: Brown Argus (1) Common Blue (4) Green Veined White (5) Holly Blue (2) Large White (1) Meadow Brown (3) Small White (5)

Brown Argus - 13-08-2018

The long drought of the summer had finally past as I headed off along the path. The weather was warm at 21c but with a lot of cloud there were few butterflies to be seen. Following the weeks of hot sunny weather the insects seemed exhausted and lethargic. There is definitely a sense that the butterfly days of summer are beginning to draw to a close.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth - Tucking Mill

As I passed over the Tucking Mill viaduct it was nice to catch a glimpse of a migratory Humming-bird Hawkmoth nectaring of the last of the Buddleja flowers. Further along the path I saw the first of two Holly Blue butterflies and the first of five Common Blues. 

The 'Whites' (Small, Green-veined, and Large) were still relatively common. As I have said before on this blog, these species are frustrating to count. The Small and Green-Veined are particularly difficult to distinguish in flight. I have seen many over the weeks but have only managed to count a small proportion as they fly unceasingly along the path.

Buckthorn - Midford

Travelling along the path past Midford bridge, I noticed a shiny leaved shrub growing in the shade of the trees. This was only the second Buckthorn Bush I have managed to find along this stretch. Buckthorn is the sole foodplant of the Brimstone butterfly which were common here in the spring. The one shrub I managed to find back in the early summer contained a number of Brimstone caterpillars and this specimen showed the tell-tale damage  of long departed caterpillars.

One last sighting was of a fresh looking Brown Argus sitting patiently on a grass stem waiting for the sun to reappear. (See picture above).




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