Saturday May 13th 2023

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 Mill 13-05-2023

One of the problems with counting Dingy Skippers at this time of year is the co-existence of  Burnet Companion moths. This day-flying species is difficult to tell apart from Dingy Skippers in flight.

Holly Blue - Horsecombe Vale 13-05-2023

Four more Holly Blues were counted on this day. They seem to be having a good start to the year. In the whole of 2019 I counted seven in total. This year I had already counted nine with the second summer generation still to come.

Speckled Wood - Horsecombe Vale 13-05-2023

In contrast, Speckled Wood butterflies appear to be having a slow start this year. By the 13th May I would have expected to see more than six in total.

Micropterix calthella - Horsecombe Vale 13-05-202

The buttercups along Horsecombe Vale seemed to be attracting all sorts of insects. Several were covered in what appeared to be a species of micro-moth, probably Micropterix calthella. 


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