Two Tunnels Butterfly Count

Species: Small Copper (2) Brown Argus (1) Common Blue (3) Grizzled Skipper (7) Dingy Skipper (11) Brimstone (3) Orange Tip (3) Holly Blue (1) Black-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa coccinea) - Horsecombe Vale 20-05-2023 The weather was fine on the 20th May and I arrived at around 3pm. The conditions were sunny with broken cloud and the temperature of 18c. In Horsecombe Vale there were several beetles flying around. One was a bright red Black-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis) .  Red-tailed Mason Bee Nest- Tucking Mill 20-05-2023 I was keen to visit the grassy embankment where I spotted a Red-tailed Mason Bee camouflaging its snail-shell nest during my last visit a week ago.  Red-tailed Mason Bee - Tucking Mill 20-05-2023 I was  surprised to see how large the heap of dry grass had got. Very impressive. I also managed to find a second nest close by.  Grizzled Skipper - Tucking Mill 20-05-2023 At the Grassland slopes that rise above the Combe Down Tu...

Species: Green Hairstreak (2) Grizzled Skipper (2) Brimstone (1) Green-veined White (1) Red Admiral (2) Comma (1) Orange Tip (3) Speckled Wood (3) Peacock (5) Holly Blue (4) Dingy Skipper (10) Orange Tip (Female) - Horsecombe Vale 13-05-2023 The afternoon of May 13th was sunny and warm when I arrived at Tucking Mill. The temperature was around 17c. Dingy Skipper - Tucking Mill 13-05-2023 Dingy Skipper butterflies were well and truly on the wing, with at least ten seem this time around. Most were active, darting around, low over grass. They were present in three distinct locations. The embankment alongside the fields owned by Wessex Water, the footpath up from Horsecombe Vale towards Combe Down and the fields to the east of Combe Down Tunnel.  Grizzled Skipper - Tucking Mill 13-05-2023 Grizzled Skipper butterflies were starting to appear, but only two were counted. These can usually be seen flying alongside the Dingy Skippers in the same three locations. Burnet Companion - Tucking ...

Species: Brimstone (4) Comma (2) Green Hairstreak (1) Green-veined White (1) Grizzled Skipper (2) Holly Blue (1) Large White (2) Orange Tip (5) Peacock (5) Red Admiral (1) Common Lizard - Tucking Mill 07-05-2023 The weather was fine for my visit to Tucking Mill on the 7th May. Finally, there was more sun than cloud and the temperature was up around 16c. I first headed to the embankment where during the early spring several of us Sustrans Volunteers had raked the dead grass to give the smaller plants a chance to thrive. I first visited the old reptile mat where I was pleasantly surprised to see a Common Lizard sunning itself. This was my first clear view of this species in this location. Slow Worms  - Tucking Mill 07-05-2023 Beneath the mat were several Slow Worms, four in total as far as I could see. Two-coloured Mason Bee - Tucking Mill 07-05-2023 Apart from the reptiles the embankment was quiet with no butterflies showing. However, on my way back along the embankment I noti...