Saturday 27th May 2023

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' Grizzled Skippers darting around amongst the grass. Four individuals were feeding from a muddy pool where a small spring crosses the footpath. This was the largest number I have seen in this location since I started recording here in 2018.

Five-spot Burnet moths - Tucking Mill - 27-05-2023

The Burnet moths that I noticed on my last visit, were also more numerous. These appear to be Five-spot Burnets, one of two very similar species. Many of the moths I saw had merged red spots on their fore-wings. This is an indication that they are 'Five- Spot' rather that 'Narrow-Bordered Five-spot Burnets',

'Forester' or 'Cistus Forester' moth - Tucking Mill - 27-05-2023

It was while I was studying the Burnet moths that my attention was suddenly drawn by a small, green moth flying low amongst the grass. It was unmistakably a 'Forester' moth of some sort. This was the first time in decades I had seen one of these beautiful moths in the Bath area.

A carpet of Rock-rose - Tucking Mill - 27-05-2023

These moths are either Forester or Cistus Forester moths. The differences between the two are very subtle and I will have to rely on expert advice to determine which they are. The area they were flying over was covered in a dense carpet of Common Rock-rose, the larval foodplant of the Cistus Forester.



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