Tuesday 22nd August 2023

Butterfly Species: Brimstone (2) Brown Argus (5) Comma (3) Common Blue (6) Gatekeeper (5) Green-veined White (2) Meadow Brown (10) Red Admiral (5) Silver-washed Fritillary (7) Small Copper (2) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Small White (2) Speckled Wood (5)

Silver-washed Fritillary - Horsecombe Vale - 22-08-2023

The weather on the 22nd August was warm (20c) with broken cloud and sunshine. Silver-washed Fritillaries were still on the wing with a total of seven seen. These were in two distinctive locations, Horsecombe Vale and the start of the 'permissive' section of cycle-path near Midford. 

Small Tortoiseshell - Midford 22-08-2023

The Midford viaduct is a good place to pause and look for butterflies during the spring and summer months. It is open, sunny and has a variety of flowering plants growing along the verges. The walls both sides add to the 'sun trap' effect. 

Here I recorded a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly nectaring on the Valerian that grows here. Shockingly, this was one of just three I have recorded in the Tucking Mill valley during 2023. This once common butterfly appears to be slowly disappearing from the area.

Green-veined White - Midford 22-08-2023

Also on (or near) the Midford viaduct were a number of Red Admirals and a Green-veined White. 

Common Darter Dragonfly - Horsecombe Vale - 22-08-2023

As usual there were several Dragonflies buzzing about along the path in Horsecombe Vale. These appeared to be Common Darters.

Comma - Horsecombe Vale - 22-08-2023

Near the footpath, up towards the fields, a Comma was sunning itself. This was one of three I saw that afternoon.

Batman Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) - Tucking Mill 22-08-2023

Tucking Mill and Horescombe Vale are a good spot to see hoverflies. Through most of the summer there are flowering plants alongside the cycleway and footpaths that seem to attract them. The first one I noticed was a brightly coloured  hoverfly feeding on a Knapweed flower. This hoverfly (Myathropa florea) is sometimes referred to as the Batman Hoverfly due to the markings on its thorax.

Hornet Mimic Hoverfly - Tucking Mill 22-08-2023

About three hundred metres away on the embankment, I saw another colourful Hoverfly. This was a Hornet Mimic (Volucella Zonaria).

Great Pied Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) - Horsecombe Vale 22-08-2023

The third hoverfly I was able to identify that day was the Great Pied Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens). It was sitting on a nettle in Horscombe Vale. This is quite a large and distinctive insect and is quite common across the British Isles.

Small Copper - Tucking Mill 22-08-2023

There were a number of butterflies still flying in the fields. These included Small Copper, Brown Argus, Meadow Brown and Common Blue. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

One Square Kilometre

Saturday 2nd September 2023

Saturday 24th June 2023