The Two Tunnels Nature Blog

Butterfly Species: Speckled Wood (3) Comma (2) Small White (8) Green Veined White (6) Large White (3) Common Blue (6) Meadow Brown (10) Red Admiral (2) Ringlet (2) Silver Washed Fritillary (8) Gatekeeper (20) Brown Argus (1) Worn and battered Ringlet Butterfly - 24-07-2018 The weather was warm (24c) and sunny with broken cloud for my walk today. Only one new species was identified today, a solitary Brown Argus near the Tucking Mill end of the path. This was the same grassy embankment where earlier in the year I spotted a pair of Marsh Fritillary. As the summer is progressing and the weather keeping the butterflies active, it is now noticeable how many are showing a considerable amount of 'wear and tear' such as the Ringlet above and Silver-washed Fritillary below. Talking of the Silver-washed Fritillary, This has been one of the 'star' species of this summer along this stretch of path. A total of eight were seen during this walk. Although the path is b...

Butterfly Species: Speckled Wood (1) Small White (4) Peacock (2) Green Veined White (1) Large White (1) Meadow Brown (8) Red Admiral (1) Silver Washed Fritillary (5) White-letter Hairstreak (1) Gatekeeper (7) Clouded Yellow (1) Tucking Mill Viaduct A shorter visit to the path today and fewer butterflies recorded. This was a cooler day temperature wise than of late and increasing levels of cloud. The Buddleja shrubs growing along the path were attracting a few species including Peacock, Silver-washed Fritillary and a lone White-letter Hairstreak. Silver-washed Fritillary on Buddleja - Tucking Mill Silver Washed Fritillary are a common sight along the path between the tunnel and Midford. A total of five were counted on this trip. Both males and the slightly more elusive females were seen. Fewer White-letter Hairstreaks were seen on this trip. The mature Elms near Midford Castle were quiet with only one seen in the canopy. However a Buddleja growing at the begin...

Butterfly Species: Brimstone (3) Speckled Wood (9) Comma (16) Small White (7) Peacock (7) Green Veined White (11) Large White (4) Meadow Brown (20+) Red Admiral (1) Small Skipper (3) Marbled White (7) Ringlet (16+) Silver Washed Fritillary (10) White-letter Hairstreak (4) Gatekeeper (19+) Peacock Butterfly - Summer Brood 10-07-2018 A mid-morning start today with the weather cloudier and slightly cooler than of late. With temperatures forecast to reach 23c later in the day I was not expecting the numbers of butterflies seen on recent visits. Faded Marbled White - Tucking Mill 10-07-2018 The Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Ringlets were still common but the Gatekeepers are beginning to outnumber them. The first of the summer broods of Peacock and Brimstone are starting to make an appearance.  Freshly emerged Brimstone Butterfly, Midford 10-07-2018 With the Bramble blossom now fading the Buddleja dotted along the route are proving a useful lure for man...

Butterfly Species:  Small Tortoiseshell (2) Comma (1) Small White (4) Green Veined White (1) Meadow Brown (11+) Marbled White (2) Ringlet (18+)Silver Washed Fritillary (2) Essex Skipper (1) Gatekeeper (4) Gatekeeper Butterfly -  04-07-2018 An earlier start today for my trip along the path. Seeing the White-letter Hairstreaks on my last trip I decided on a morning visit to the Elm trees along the Tucking Mill section of the track. There were two reasons for this. Firstly I wanted to search for them at a time of day when the sun was warming a different side of the trees. Secondly, I remembered from my youth that this butterfly was far more likely to descend from the canopy early in the morning, or late in the evening. Alas they did not oblige. I did however spot some Hairstreak butterflies on trees between the Two Tunnels. Again, they were flying high in the canopy so I can't be sure of the species but I am thinking White-letter Hairstreak given the amount of Elm here...

Butterfly Species: Small Tortoiseshell (2) Comma (8) Small White (2) Green-veined White (1) Large Skipper (8) Meadow Brown (30+) Marbled White (17) Ringlet (19+) Silver Washed Fritillary (2) White-letter Hairstreak (5+) Its a week since my last walk along the path and the weather is still fine and sunny with temperature reaching the high 20'sC. Last week was a high in butterfly numbers and the species list is lengthening as the summer progresses. Last week I spotted a number of Hairstreak butterflies high in an ash tree canopy, so this week I was primed with a pair of binoculars and a determination to pay more attention to the tree-tops! The stretch of path between the end of the Two Tunnels and Midford Station proved to be the most interesting once again. The Marbled Whites, Ringlets and Meadow Browns were seen in profusion massing around the Brambles as before. These were joined briefly by a single female Silver Washed Fritillary which glided along the path and into ...

Butterfly Species: Small Tortoiseshell (2) Speckled Wood (6) Small White (1) Large Skipper (8) Meadow Brown (31+) Painted Lady (1) Red Admiral (1) Small Skipper (1) Marbled White (31+) Ringlet (27+) My first walk along the path today for nearly three weeks. Poor weather and a holiday in Switzerland has kept me away and in my absence much has changed. A total of 102 butterflies counted on this trip but this doesn't do it justice! Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) 22-06-2018 Marbled Whites, Ringlets and Meadow Browns are numerous now. The Brambles are in flower and are alive with bees and butterflies. The flowers attract large numbers of Ringlet and Meadow Brown with an occasional Marbled White joining in. Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) 22-06-2018 With numbers of Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Marbled White so high I was forced to adopt a different strategy for counting these species. I selected a good vantage point and in the space of a minute I counted as man...

Butterfly Species: Orange Tip (1) Meadow Brown (1) Brimstone (1) Green-veined White (4) Large White (1) Speckled Wood (8) Large Skipper (2) Common Blue (3) Five-spot Burnet Moth A warm day with broken cloud and three new species were noted. The first Meadow brown of the year was spotted on the steep embankment near the Wellow end of the walk. Two fresh large Skippers were also spotted. A Five-spot Burnet was flying on the grassy embankment near Tucking Mill. The Silver Y Moth In another first, two Silver Y Moths made an appearance. The first was spotted nectaring on Valerian on the Midford Bridge.This is a migratory species that arrives from the continent in varying numbers each year. Further along the path past the Midford bridge, I visited the Buckthorn bush where Brimstone eggs were found on a previous walk. These are now small larvae. I also managed to find several Orange Tip larvae on Garlic Mustard plants along the same stretch of path.

Butterfly Species: Green-veined White (6) Brimstone (2) Speckled Wood (6) Marsh Fritillary (2) Cow Parsley in full bloom With sunny weather and temperatures in the low 20Cs, there were plenty of butterflies on the wing. Just three species were identified but many more unidentified 'whites' were seen. These were likely to have been mainly Green-veined Whites rather than Small White given their flight pattern and size. The first part of the route between Tucking Mill and Midford is now much shadier with the canopy now starting to close over the path. There were however many (10+) Demoiselle Damselflies along this stretch, many more than a week earlier. Also noted along this stretch were two Marsh Fritillary over-flying the grassy embankment from the field beyond. The fields around Tucking Mill are a known locality for this rare and protected species after the laval nests were discovered by an ecologist working for Wessex Water the year before. After passing over the...

Butterfly Species: Small White (1) Brimstone (2) Orange Tip (1) Large White (2) Green-Veined White (2) Quite a low total today (8) mainly due to the weather. Although the temperature was around 17c, high cloud diffused the sun and reduced butterfly activity. What was a surprise was the absence of Speckled Wood given the high numbers a week earlier. I would expect to see these to be flying in diffused sunlight. The only new species seen on the cycle-path was a day flying moth, The Orange Underwing (Archieris Parthenias). Two of these were seen flying quite low over a grassy bank towards the Wellow end of the path. Slightly off the path, two Dingy Skippers were spotted in a field a metre or so from the boundary fence. The field is close to Tucking Mill and is owned by Wessex Water. It adjoins the top of the embankment and the habitat is similar the path side of the fence. There is potential that this species could also be found on the path in this area. The Hawthorn blos...

Butterfly Species: Peacock (1) Small White (2) Green-Veined-White (2) Brimstone (3) Large White (3) Speckled Wood (8) Orange Tip (5) Demoiselle Damselfly A cooler day (15c) and consequently fewer butterflies on the wing with a total of 18 counted. Again this number does not include a number of 'Whites' which were not easily identified in flight. Along one stretch of shady path approaching the Wellow Trekking Centre, there were a large number (10+) of  Demoiselle Damselflies. This is a stretch of path where a small spring runs alongside for 100m or so. This watercourse is now nearly completely obscured by vegetation. Cycle Path nearing Wellow Trekking Centre Near Midford Castle, it was a treat to see a number of small and medium sized Wych Elms in fruit. Wych Elm near Midford Castle

Butterfly Species: Brimstone (8) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Speckled Wood (13) Orange Tip (9) Holly Blue (1) Small White (2) Peacock (1) Green-Veined White (1) Cycle Path - Approaching Midford Station The warmest day so far and not surprisingly the highest numbers of butterflies recorded to date (36).The top three species being Speckled Wood, Orange Tip and Brimstone in that order. The flora has changed subtly with Wild Garlic (Ransoms) now predominating  in many places. Checking the Garlic Mustard flower heads revealed several eggs of the Orange Tip butterfly. Orange Tip Egg on Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Green-veined, Small and Large Whites were also on the wing. As these species are very similar and very restless in the heat, it was difficult to positively identify them in flight. Consequently, I have probably under-recorded these species. Demoiselle Damselfly Other sightings include a brief glimpse of this Demoiselle Damselfly. It is either a Beautif...

Butterfly Species: Speckled Wood (8) Orange Tip (5) Holly Blue (1) Brimstone (3) Comma (1) Brimstone - Male (Gonepteryx rhamni) A week on from my last visit and three new species to add to the 2018 list. Speckled Wood, Orange Tip and Holly Blue are all on the wing. Speckled Wood topped the list with a minimum of eight spotted during the walk. Speckled Wood (Parage aegeria) Both male and female Orange Tip were flying in good numbers with the latter beginning egg laying on the small patches of Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata). Orange-Tip - Female (Anthocharis cardamines) Recently laid (white) Orange-tip egg Cycle path near Midford Station

Butterfly Species: Brimstone (5) Peacock (2) Small Tortoiseshell (2) Comma (1) Small White (1) Scarlet Tiger Moth Larva (Callimorpha dominula) Two weeks on from my first trip and the temperature has risen to between 14-17c. More butterflies are present including my years first Small White. It was noticeable how much greener the route looked compared to my first trip. Many more flowers had appeared including the first Bluebells. Both male and female Brimstone butterflies were on the wing and were the most commonly met with of the five species seen. The other notable sighting was a single Scarlet Tiger Moth larva. This was spotted feeding on a Common Comprey plant near the Wellow end of the path. This species has extended its range considerably during the latter half of the 20thC. Heading back towards the tunnels, as I passed and area cleared by volunteers in March, I noticed a small Grass Snake disappearing down one of the many holes that perforated this section o...