Butterfly Count 2019

 Butterfly Species: Brimstone (2) Peacock (1)


As the sun came out on the Sunday 24th February and I set off along the path towards Midford and Wellow, I had already been thinking about the spring and summer ahead. I would like to continue to monitor the butterflies along this Sustrans Greener Geenway and would like to share this task with other like-minded people.

Last year I concentrated on the path between the end of the Combe Down Tunnel and Midford, with some additional forays towards Wellow. Should I repeat the same pattern this year, or should I survey a new stretch of the path... or with help, both? But that's for another day.


With the temperature rising to around 14c and the wind abating, I was not surprised to see several butterflies winging their way along the path. The bright yellow wings of two male brimstone butterflies caught my attention as they busied themselves along the embankment. Further along the path I noticed a solitary Peacock sunning itself perched on bramble halfway down a steep embankment.


Away from butterfly sightings, and further along the track towards Wellow, I stopped at a spot where the path widens slightly opposite a farm gate. Here, last year, I watched a female Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly laying eggs in a water filled tractor rut.


This ordinary looking damp margin is actual fed by a small spring and is wet most of the year. Today it was filled with Frog/Toad spawn. On looking closer I could see movement below the surface and (taking the plunge with my hand) I was surprised to find it was a fully grown Newt. My amphibian identification skills are in need of improvement but it looked to me like a Palmate Newt.



So the trip was a good one. I returned home looking forward to my next visit and wondering about what wildlife surprises are awaiting me during the forthcoming months.

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