Species: Brimstone (1) Comma (1) Common Blue (3) Dingy Skipper (6) Green Hairstreak (2) Grizzled Skipper (4) Holly Blue (1) Painted Lady (3) Peacock (3) Small White (1) Speckled Wood (1)
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(Possibly) a Five-spot Burnet moth- Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 (Note the micromoth below the left wings, probably Cocksfoot Moth - Glyphipterix simpliciella) |
The weather was promising as I set off for todays trip. My last excursion, back on the 7th May, was limited by slow moving clouds obscuring the sun. Not so today, the temperature had reached 20c and the clouds had parted.
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Green Hairstreak - Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 |
I headed off to a spot where I had, a few years ago, seen Marsh Fritillary butterflies. Armed with binoculars I scanned the field without success. This is a notoriously rare and fickle butterfly, often appearing and disappearing from one year to the next.
I did spot two Green Hairstreak butterflies here though. This is the third location in the valley where I have now seen this butterfly, all in or near the patchwork of rich grasslands that link the areas of woodland.
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(Possibly) Five Spot Burnet moths - Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 |
What I also saw were a number of Burnet moths flying and settled in the long grass. This seemed early in the year to me and I was aware they were either Five-spot Burnet or Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet moths. I think these may be the Five-spot given their early appearance, their rounded wing tips and the variability of the red spots on their forewings. In reality these two species are very difficult to identify with any certainty, and would need the attention of an expert to verify.
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(Possibly) Five-spot Burnet Moths showing merged red spots on the forewing - Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 |
I wandered on my way towards Midford where I stopped on the Viaduct where the cycle-path crosses the valley.
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Midford Viaduct - May 2022 |
The viaduct is great spot for butterflies. Warm and sunny, it is bordered with a variety of plants and flowers growing through the abandoned railway track ballast. Within seconds, a Painted Lady butterfly shot up from the path in front of me and flew quickly over to the flowering Valerian. This was not a surprise as these butterflies arrive from the continent every year in varying numbers, mainly in early summer.
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Painted Lady - Midford 22-05-2022 |
The last leg of my journey was off the cycle-path and along the surrounding footpaths. I decided to check out the grassy slopes that surround the entrance to the Combe Down tunnel.
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Grizzled Skipper - Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 |
The grassland here was alive with activity, with Dingy and Grizzled Skippers buzzing frenetically across the short sward. It was nearly impossible to count the exact numbers of each species, as they were reluctant to settle and a small number of Burnet Companion moths were also present in small numbers. This latter species is often mistaken for Dingy Skippers, but normally show an orange tinge in flight. Consequently, I only recorded those 'Skippers' I saw settled which is likely a big underestimate.
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Burnet Companion moth - Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 |
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Dingy Skipper - Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 |
As evening came I headed back towards the cycle-path. Along the way I noticed a beetle scurrying across the dry mud path. It was a Bloody-nosed Beetle, the second one I have seen in the valley this year. I first saw one on
my 18th March trip.
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Bloody-nosed Beetle - Tucking Mill 22-0502022 |
Further along the same path, a Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly zoomed across the brambles to perch obligingly on a twig to pose for a photograph.
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Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly - Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 |
For reasons I can't explain, this stretch of footpath also seems to attract Peacock butterflies at this time of year. Today was no exception as three flew up from the ground as I passed through, their age showing in their tatty wings.
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Peacock butterfly - Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 |
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