Two Tunnels Butterfly Count

Species: Common Blue (4) Ringlet (1) Comma (8) Silver-washed Fritillary (1) Meadow Brown (7) Small Skipper (6) Marbled White (9) Black-tailed Skimmer - Tucking Mill Viaduct 24-06-2023 A late afternoon visit on a warm (26c) but cloudy day led to few butterflies being about, but some interesting sightings nonetheless. A Black-tailed Skimmer was basking on the path that traverses the Viaduct. Not a species I have seen before in this location.  Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly - Tucking Mill 24-06-2023 Also near the path was another Odonata species, this time a Damselfly. A Beautiful Demoiselle flew past and perched on a tree. Comma - Horsecombe Vale 24-06-2023 In Horsecombe Vale I had just a brief glimpse of a Silver-washed Fritillary but there were a number of Comma butterflies still flying. Variimorda villosa  'Tumbling flower beetle' - Horsecombe Vale  24-06-2023 It was in the valley I saw an unusual looking beetle feeding of a Bramble blossom. After some online research I...

Species: Grizzled Skipper (1) Meadow Brown (2) Dingy Skipper (3) Speckled Wood (2) Common Blue (3) Pyramidal Orchid - Tucking Mill 10-06-2023 The 10th June was a warm but cloudy day. I arrived at Tucking Mill for a short visit at around 11.00am. There were few butterflies around but the trip proved worthwhile. There was a wonderful array of orchids and other flora growing in the dry grassland, including Pyramidal Orchids (Photo above). Common Spotted-orchid   - Tucking Mill 10-06-2023 Alongside the Pyramidal Orchids , Common Spotted-orchids could be seen in a number of areas, including the section of the embankment which was racked to remove dead grasses earlier in the year. Red-tailed Mason Bee Nest - Tucking Mill 10-06-2023 Also on the embankment the grassy nests of the Red-tailed Mason Bee I had identified on a previous visit, could still be seen. Common Rock-rose - Tucking Mill 10-06-2023 The field where I spotted what I believe to be Cistus Forester moths was ablaze with t...

Species: Small Copper (1) Dingy Skipper (6) Common Blue (3) Comma (1) Orange Tip (1) Grizzled Skipper (10) 'Forester' or 'Cistus Forester' moth - Tucking Mill - 27-05-2023 On Saturday 27th May I made a late afternoon visit to Tucking Mill, arriving at about 4:45pm. It had been a warm and sunny day and the temperature was still around 20c. Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly - Horsecombe Vale 27-05-2023 The Beautiful Demoiselle damselflies that appear in the valley during summer were showing in small numbers, flying upwards into the trees when disturbed. Grizzled Skippers - Tucking Mill - 27-05-2023 The main purpose of my visit was to check up on the Grizzled Skippers. I had been wandering how numerous they would be this year following the hot conditions last year which desiccated their grassland habitat. Grizzled Skipper - Tucking Mill - 27-05-2023 I shouldn't have worried. I managed to identify ten individuals basking in the field and many more 'probable' Grizzl...