The Two Tunnels Nature Blog

Female Orange Tip - April 2021 I made a couple of trips along the cycle path in late April. This can be a difficult time for butterflies weather wise with varying temperatures and sunshine hours. Tuesday 20th April  Butterfly species:  Orange Tip (3) Brimstone (1) Speckled Wood (1) Some sunny spells and temperature hovering around 14c for my morning cycle ride. Nevertheless, there were a few butterflies on the wing. Nice to see the Orange Tips, as these really do represent the start of spring.... for me at least. As usual the males, with their distinctive orange tips, patrol the cycle way continuously flying and rarely pausing. A lone Speckled Wood was spotted basking in the weak sunshine, already looking a little faded. Meanwhile the familiar sight of a male Brimstone flew along the edge of a wooded section of the path. Saturday 24th April Butterfly species:  Speckled Wood (2) Holly Blue (1) Orange-tip (3) Brimstone (6) A better day for butterflies. The weather was fine ...

  The early part of April continued the trend from March with frequent night frosts and daytime temperatures struggling to exceed 10c most days.  The sheltered valley to the south of Bath can be counted on to be slightly warmer than the hills. Even so, I was surprised to see this early Grizzled Skipper on a woodland path some distance from the cycle-path and the fields where I would normally expect to see them The path leads along the edge of a wood between a brook and a grassy bank that rises up the side of the hill. It is a slightly odd place to find a Grizzled Skipper, but I have seen one there before.  The books will tell you it can be found in woodland rides, as well as grassland habitats. I'm not sure which of these this sighting would fall into. Anyway, a very welcome sight!

In most years I would expect to see the early butterflies begin to appear around the start of  March. In some years February would bring with it an occasional Brimstone or Small Tortoiseshell. The start of 2021 however has been marked with bright, but particularly cool weather, brought to us on a cold north or north-easterly wind.  Peacock Butterfly - Tucking Mill 31-03-2021 I managed several trips along the cycle-path between Tucking Mill and Wellow during February and March, during which I also explored the footpaths that crisscross the area. During these excursions I saw very few butterflies. On the 31st March I managed to see and photograph this lone Peacock warming itself in the grass. I planned these trips to coincide with fine sunny weather. It was the cold that was keeping the butterflies away. In Bath, the first half of February was very cool, warming a little towards the end of the month when 'peak' daytime temperatures typically reached 10-13c. March brought little ...

It is hard to summarise the 2020 butterfly year. Much of the year was dominated by lockdowns and for me, family matters. My last survey along the cycle path was on the 2nd of August . I recorded 11 species and a total of 43 individuals.  There was still a good showing of Silver-washed Fritillary, with a total of eight recorded. This species, residing along the path interests me. In some respects it is surprising, as this is a butterfly I mostly associate with larger woods and forests. The fact it happily makes its home along this section of cycle path, is down to the fact that the path provides a shady conduit between wooded valleys and small copses as it winds its way across the landscape.  Silver-washed Fritillary - Midford, July 2020 The White-letter Hairstreak is another butterfly to be found along this section of the path. Elusive and sedentary, it spends most of its adult life in the tree canopies, fluttering occasionally between perches. I was fortunate enough to have s...

Species: Red Admiral (8) Holly Blue (2) Peacock (16) Comma (11) Meadow Brown (22) Large White (3) Small White (1) Ringlet (6) Silver-washed Fritillary (8) Gatekeeper (5) Marbled White (5) Small Skipper (9) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Green-veined White (2) Comma - Tucking Mill 12-07-2020 108 butterflies counted today against just 39 last time out. The temperature was lower this time at around 20c, but we are coming on for 3 weeks later into the season.   Holly Blue - Horsecombe Vale, Tucking Mill 12-07-2020 As is usual this year, I also wandered the footpaths around the cycle-path counting butterflies as I go. The terrain around this section of path is both hilly and wooded. There are also several west facing, unimproved meadows.  My first encounter came as I followed a footpath between a wood and a field. I spotted a Holly Blue settled on the path ahead of me. It was feeding off a patch of dried bird droppings. More about this later!   Paired Silver-washed Fritillaries ...

Species: Large Skipper (1) Red Admiral (1) Comma (2) Ringlet (2) Meadow Brown (12) Marbled White (21) Meadow Brown - Tucking Mill 24-06-2020 Can it be too hot for butterflies? This is the question I was asking myself as I headed back from this trip down the cycle-path. I had headed off out in the mid-morning sunshine, with the temperature already above 24c.  There were plenty of butterflies about, but I sort of expected to see more given the conditions. I know from previous experience that different butterfly species like to fly at different times of the day, and can become more sedentary at other times. It may also be that we are at an 'in-between' stage for butterflies in late June ,while we wait for the summer species to emerge.  Marbled White - Tucking Mill 24-06-2020 However the Marbled Whites and Meadow Browns were flying in good numbers and interspersed with the odd Red Admiral and Comma. Comma (hutchinsoni) - Tucking Mill 24-06-2020 The Comma seen on this trip was of...

Butterfly Species: Meadow Brown (25) Small White (1) Green-veined White (1) Small Skipper (2) Marbled White (8) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Red Admiral (3) Marbled White - Tucking Mill 14-06-2020 Fine weather greeted me as I headed out of the Combe Down tunnel near Tucking Mill this Sunday. The temperature was hovering around 21c and it was my first visit there in nearly three weeks. On my last visit I saw my first Meadow Brown of the year and, as predicted, they were now numerous.  Marbled White - Tucking Mill 14-06-2020   June is a great time for butterflies. It is the month I look forward to, as the grassy meadows and hedgerows are in full bloom and one of my favourite butterflies start to appear. The Marbled White is a wonderful grassland species and very photogenic. It's intricate black and white markings are particularly striking when freshly emerged. Despite it's appearance it is in fact a closer relative of the Meadow Brown than of the Large and Small Whites and live along...

Butterfly Species: Holly Blue (1), Speckled Wood (1), Common Blue (6), Grizzled Skipper (4), Meadow Brown (1), Dingy Skipper (1) Grizzled Skipper - Tucking Mill 27-05-2020 A morning trip today taking in the section of cycle-path between Tucking Mill and Midford as well as the surrounding footpaths. The weather was fine with the temperature around 20c.  Two species were particularly evident, Common Blue and Grizzled Skipper. These occupy the grassy west facing hillsides adjoining the cycle-path. I first discovered them last year, so it's good to see them again this year. Grizzled Skippers have declined significantly in recent years and is now a 'High Priority' species for Butterfly Conservation.  Grizzled Skipper - Tucking Mill 27-05-2020 Flying alongside the Grizzled Skipper, and equally scarce is the Dingy Skipper. These can be seen flying alongside the aforementioned Grizzled Skipper and have a liking for the same type of habitat. It was also nice to see the first Meadow...

Orange Tip - Tucking Mill 09-05-2020 At the time of writing it is June and the butterfly season is coming to a head. My trips to the Tucking Mill section of the cycle-path have been few and far between owing to the Coronavirus outbreak and resulting lockdowns. Because of this, for the rest of the season, I have decided to concentrate my efforts on surveying for known species on the cycle path and the surrounding area for the rest of the year. May 9th 2020 Species: Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Orange Tip. My first visit to the area was on the 9th May. The weather was fine and sunny with the temperature reaching 22c. I was pleasantly surprised to find both Grizzled and Dingy Skippers flying in the field alongside the path.  Grizzled Skipper - Tucking Mill 09-05-2020 This sunny, dry, gently sloping hillside seems to provide a good habitat for these two species. However, I have yet to discover which food-plant the Grizzled Skippers are using...

Grizzled Skippers, Near Tucking Mill - 21st April 2019 Well, it's been a long time in the making but finally I have managed to collate the numbers and reflect on the butterfly year 2019. I started my observations along the cycle-path between Tucking Mill and Midford (near Bath) in the spring of 2018. I didn't know back then, that 2018 was destined to be an exceptionally good one for butterflies generally. However, I know from experience that no two years are alike when it comes to butterflies and every year has its surprises. I decided at the start of the 2019 season that I would concentrate my efforts on the stretch of path between the Midford viaduct and the start of the tunnel near Tucking Mill. This was due to a couple of factors. Firstly, I knew I would have less time to devote to the count in 2019, and I also wanted time to explore the footpaths around this area to contextualise the observations on the path. I was really pleased to be joined by several oth...

Butterfly species: Red Admiral (1) Comma (1) Large White (1) Sunday was a warm sunny day with temperatures reaching 16c in the mid-afternoon. Despite the balmy weather, the cycle-path was taking on a distinctly autumnal atmosphere. The afternoon sun is much lower in the sky and the shadows are now longer. Consequently the path is shadier and cooler. Even so, I was soon greeted by the sight of a Red Admiral fluttering rapidly across the path in front of me. Further along the path I came across a Buddleia furnished with a few last flowers. At the very apex was a solitary Comma butterfly. The viaduct at Midford was in full sun when I arrived and it was not long before a Large White made an appearance. During the summer this bridge is often a hive of activity, with many bees, Hoverflies and butterflies nectaring of the wild flowers growing along it's sides. Not today, the flowers have long gone and so this last butterfly flew on without stopping. This will be my very last ...

Butterfly Species: Red Admiral (5) Comma (2) Large White (1) Small White (1) Speckled Wood (2) Red Admiral - Tucking Mill 15-09-2019 The weather was set fair on possibly my last 'butterfly count' trip of 2019. It was sunny with a temperature of approximately 18c when I set off down the path at about 2pm. My first butterfly was a Red Admiral feeding on a Buddleia at Tucking Mill. This was one of five I saw on this trip, outnumbering the other four species. Speckled Wood - Midford 15-09-2019 All of the species seen this day were typical of the time of year. The last of the 'Whites', hibernators such as the Comma. The Red Admiral is a migrant to the UK which sometimes survive mild winters. Common Darter Dragonfly - Tucking Mill 15-09-2019 September is also a good time to see Dragonflies. I saw several flying alongside the cycle-path, most to active to clearly identify. The most numerous appear to be Common Darters. I say 'appear to be' as even ...

Butterfly Species: Large White (2) Painted Lady (2) Red Admiral (1) Speckled Wood (2) Small White (3) Green-veined White (2) Comma (1) Chicory - Between Midford and Wellow 08-09-2019  It has been sometime since I have been able to head off along the cycle-way to carry out my survey. The weather has been unsettled of late and I was expecting to see the usual changes to the vegetation that September brings with it. This was a late afternoon trip (about 4pm) and although the weather was good the temperature had already fallen to around 15c. Small White Butterfly - Midford 08-09-2019 Despite this, I managed to spot a total of thirteen butterflies and seven species. This trip was very much dominated by the 'Whites'. Small, Large and Green-Veined were present and made up eight of the total! Large White Butterfly - Midford 08-09-2019 On my journey back along the permissive path between Wellow and Midford, I noticed quite a few bright blue flowers growing in the a...

Butterfly species: Small White (2) Silver-washed Fritillary (4) Gatekeeper (2) Large White (1) Red Admiral (1) Painted Lady (3) Brimstone (1) Comma (1) Peacock (1) Male Silver-washed Fritillary - Midford 08-08-2019 The weather was already on the change when I emerged from the Tunnel near Tucking Mill. The sun was disappearing behind a veil of cloud, but the temperature was still hovering around 21c. I wasn’t hopeful of seeing a large number of butterflies on this trip, and so it was. Large White Butterfly - Midford 08-08-2019 The buddleia bushes that line the path near Tucking Mill were attracting several butterflies. A male Brimstone, a Peacock and a Small White among them. Red Admiral - Midford 08-08-2019 Interestingly the most numerous butterfly this trip was the Silver-washed Fritillary. Once again, these butterflies could be seen at several points along the path all the way through to the start of the ‘permissive’ path the other side of Midford.

Butterfly species: Small White (4) Holly Blue (1) Silver-washed Fritillary (9) Gatekeeper (3) Green-veined White (4) Meadow Brown (5) Small Skipper (1) Large White (3) Red Admiral (4) Common Blue (1) Small Copper (1) Painted Lady (1) Small Copper - Tucking Mill 02-08-2019 A much later start for my trip along the path this week. For various reasons I ended up beginning my survey at 4.14pm on a humid and slightly cloudy August afternoon (23c). This had some benefits. The butterflies were not as numerous, but were much more approachable. Common Blue (Female) Tucking Mill 02-08-2019 It was nice to see two, fresh summer brood butterflies, a Small Copper and a Female Common Blue at my usual stopping off point at Tucking Mill. They were lazily fluttering around on the embankment there, and easily approachable with the camera. Silver-washed Fritillary (Var. Valezina) Midford (August 2018) The highlight species of this trip was less obliging for the camera. I managed to cou...