Species: Comma (3) Gatekeeper (3) Green-veined White (1) Holly Blue (1) Marbled White (11) Meadow Brown (5) Red Admiral (1) Ringlet (7) Silver-washed Fritillary (4) Small Skipper (7)
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| Silver-washed Fritillary - Horsecombe Vale 05-07-2022 |
I decided to head out early today, the 5th of July. The forecast was for the early sunshine to be replaced with near complete cloud cover by 11.00am. As it turned out I was greeted by a grey sky when I arrived in Horsecombe Vale at around 9.30am
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| Small Tortoiseshell Larvae - Combe Down, Bath 05-07-2-22 |
I was on foot today, Labrador in tow and as I set off down the footpath from Combe Down I noticed a larval web on the nettles that line the path. These appear to be Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars. Most years I only manage to find one or two, but this year I have seen maybe fifteen to twenty. Interesting!
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| Horsecombe Vale first summer after Ash Die-back clearance - 05-07-2022 |
My plan for the day was to walk through Horsecombe Vale, up to the fields near Tucking Mill and then onwards on the footpath to Midford. I would return via the cycle-path. The path through Horsecombe Vale is beginnig to look a little less barren. Over the winter the woodland either side of the path was cleared of its Ash trees, a devastating result of Ash Die-back disease. Today it is much greener with the understory of brambles, and smaller shrubs beginning to hide the fallen trees.
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| Ringlet (top) Marbled White (above) - Tucking Mill 05-07-2022 |
The fields were under cloud cover when I arrived, however a few butterflies were responding to the warmth and flying weakly around. Ringlets and particularly Marbled Whites were flying alongside a number of Small Skippers.
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| Small Skipper - Tucking Mill 05-07-2022 |
Small Skippers are almost identical to Essex Skippers and I have seen both in this valley often flying together. I photograph as many as I can and they all turn out to be Small Skippers. None had the the two defining characteristics of the Essex Skipper. These are a short straight sex brand on the forewings of the males and glossy black undersides of the antennae on both sexes.
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| Lesser Centaury - Tucking Mill 05-07-2022 |
What I like about these fields is the way they always seem to provide something new. Today I spotted a small plant with bright pink flowers, and not one I immediately recognised. The whole plant was maybe 15-18cm high with the flowers clustered near the top. Given their short stature, I believe them to be Lesser Centaury a common enough flower, but not one I had noticed before.
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| Lesser Centaury flowers - Tucking Mill 05-07-2022 |
As I leave the field I photograph one of the many damselflies that reside in the long grass. Most are blue which categorises them into a large group of very similar species. The one I photographed is not one I can readily identify.
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| Damselfly - Tucking Mill 05-07-2022 |
I continue my walk towards Midford on a path that runs through woodland parallel to the cycle track. As I approach Midford itself, another very much more recognisable Damselfly perches on the vegetation as I pass. Its another Beautiful Demoiselle, a female.
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| Beautiful Demoiselle - Midford 05-07-2022 |
My walk back towards Tucking Mill was uneventful, the clouds had gathered again and not many insects were flying. I decide to walk back up to Combe Down the same way I came. I was hoping the clouds would clear and I would see my first Silver-washed Fritillary of the season. These start to appear at the end of June and are often seen in Horsecombe Vale.
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| Long-horn beetle, probably Rutpela maculata - Horsecombe Vale 05-07-2022 |
Sure enough, as I walked along the valley, not one but two Silver-washed flew up from bramble flowers, their favourite nectar source. Sadly they were off before I could photograph them. What I did notice was a large flying beetle. This turned out to be a Long-horn beetle, probably Rutpela maculata. It settled long enough for me to take a picture before it literally 'buzzed off', being replaced shortly after with a male Silver-washed Fritillary.
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| Silver-washed Fritillary - Horsecombe Vale 05-07-2022 |
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