The Two Tunnels Nature Blog

  Species: Meadow Brown (1) Small White (1) Speckled Wood (2) Common Darter Dragonfly - Tucking Mill 26-09-21 My last trip along the path this year was on the 26th September. Just three species of butterfly, and four individuals counted.  The weather was fine with broken cloud and a temperature of around 19c when I arrived by bike. It wasn't a butterfly that greeted me though, but a late dragonfly. A Common Darter perched on a fence post to bask in the sunshine. Meadow Brown - Tucking Mill 26-09-21 Away from the path itself, a faded female Meadow Brown was seen, wings wide open in a grassy area near the footpath. Devil's-bit scabious - Tucking Mill 26-09-21 As I headed back home it was interesting to see many Devil's Bit Scabious flowers still in Bloom. It tends to grow in the shadier parts of the landscape here but is quite plentiful in places. This is the main foodplant of the rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly which I have previously seen close to the cycle path. It's ...

Species:  Small Copper (1) Green-veined White (1) Painted Lady (1) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Red Admiral (3) Meadow Brown (1) Speckled Wood (2) Green-veined White - Midford 11-09-21 Another late afternoon visit on the 11th and fewer butterflies on the wing. The sun is lower in the sky now and the cycle path is much shadier than during a midsummer afternoon. The weather was fine though with the temperature hovering around 18c. Painted Lady - Midford 11-09-21 I decided to head towards the Buddleia bushes that grow on the viaduct at Midford. These shrubs usually attract butterflies, and at this time of day the viaduct is still in direct sunshine. This proved a good move as there were Green-veined Whites, Small Tortoiseshell and a fresh looking Painted Lady. Small Copper - Tucking Mill 11-09-21 Returning to Tucking Mill and departing from the cycle path, I headed for the grassy slopes that adjoin the path. Here I spotted a lone Small Copper. This is a species I only occasionally see even...

Species: Speckled Wood (1) Common Blue (3) Gatekeeper (2) Large White (1) Small White (1) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Peacock (3) Meadow Brown (8) Red Admiral (3) Comma (4) Brimstone (2) Silver-washed Fritillary (4) Common Blue - Tucking Mill 22-08-2021 A later afternoon cycle ride on the 22nd August resulted in a much longer list of species than previously. I counted 13 species and 33 individuals. The weather was fine, sunny and warm (20c) when I arrived at 3.15pm. I decided to check the cycle path between the end of the Combe Down tunnel and Midford, straying over the viaduct at Midford up to the start of the 'permissive' section of the route. Common Darter Dragonfly - Tucking Mill 22-08-2021 I also, as is often the case, detour off the the cycle path onto the footpaths that crisscross the surrounding countryside near Tucking Mill and Horsecombe Vale. My first encounter was not a butterfly but a dragonfly. A rather elderly, female Common darter. This would set a theme for the da...

Species: Peacock (1) Silver-washed Fritillary (4) Meadow Brown (7) Small White (1) Red Admiral (5) Comma (2) Green-veined White (2) Speckled Wood (7) Comma butterfly - Tucking Mill 14-08-2021 The weather was warm and sunny with broken cloud for my second run along the cycle-path to Tucking Mill. The temperature reached 22c that day. Red Admiral - Tucking Mill 14-08-2021 The Red Admiral must be mentioned as the 'star' butterfly that day. A total of 5 were to be seen at various points along and around the cycle-path, many in good condition. Sliver-washed Fritillary - Tucking Mill 14-08-2021 The Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies came in a close second. I saw four individuals on and around the cycle-path. Many are now in a faded and battered state and I am sad I missed there peak during my absence.

Butterfly species: Silver-washed Fritillary (1) Common Blue (1) Painted Lady (1) Peacock (1) Speckled Wood  Painted Lady - Midford 20-07-2021 Ready to venture out once more following my badly timed ankle injury back in May, I took a walk down to the railway path from Combe Down. The weather was rather warmer than the last time I saw this area, and the flora and fauna had moved on from spring to high summer. It was sunny and hot, the temperature was racing past 25c by 10.30am when I arrived. Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly - Tucking Mill 20-07-2021 My first encounter wasn't a butterfly, but nonetheless one of my favourite insects. A Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly fluttered by to perch high on a Sycamore leaf overhanging the path. Nice start! Six-spot Burnet moth - Tucking Mill 20-007-2021 Further along the path, a single Common Blue butterfly was nectaring on a flower at the top of the embankment.  At the same location there were a number of day-flying Burnet moths. These appea...

  Butterfly Species: Dingy Skipper, Brimstone, Grizzled Skipper Brimstone - Tucking Mill 14-05-2021 My afternoon trip on the 14th May was later in the day than I would normally set out. The weather, although sunny was still cool for the time of year at 14c. The average for a sunny May day for this part of the UK is around 17c.  Still, a number of butterflies were active and which made the trip worthwhile. Not far along the path from Tucking Mill I spotted a Brimstone nectaring on a Dandelion flower. These remarkable butterflies are the longest lived, in the adult state, of any UK butterfly. This individual most likely emerged during the preceding summer in July or August, and having survived the winter was still going strong five months into the new year. Brimstone eggs - Midford 14-05-2021 The larval foodplant of the Brimstone is Buckthorn and Alder Buckthorn. This is an uncommon shrub along this stretch of railway path. I know of a couple of straggly specimens near the Midf...

 Butterfly Species: Holly Blue (1) Dingy Skipper (1) Orange Tip (1) Ramsons (Wild Garlic) Another cool and cloudy May day. My trip started about 11am and again, I was not that optimistic about seeing many butterflies. The three I did see made the trip worthwhile.  Dingy Skipper - Tucking Mill 11-05-2021 The cycle path was looking near it's best with the woodland understorey a carpet of white Ransom flowers, peppered with Bluebells and the yellow Lesser Celandine. The first butterfly was a Dingy Skipper. This was seen at the top of an embankment where the cycle path runs alongside a meadow. This is one of three locations in fairly close proximity, where you can expect to see these uncommon butterflies. Further along the path a single male Orange Tip flew past me, busily checking out a variety of flora without pausing and a single Holly Blue fluttered higher up in the shrubbery. Wild Strawberry - Tucking Mill 11-05-2021 Diverting off the cycle-path and following a footpath acro...

Butterfly Species: Dingy Skipper The beginning of May brought some fine weather, albeit cool. At around midday I made a short dog walking trip to Tucking Mill. Rather than going along the cycle path I walked down a footpath from Combe down village and across the fields where I would expect to see Grizzled Skipper butterflies at this time of year. With the temperature struggling to reach the heady heights of 11c, I was not expecting to see many butterflies on the wing. It was a nice surprise then to see this Dingy Skipper basking in the weak sunshine. This small butterfly is often hard to follow as it darts rapidly around over it's grassland habitat. This one was much more approachable given the cool weak sunshine. Sadly this is a species has declined greatly over the decades but showing a modest improvement in the last ten years. It remains a priority species for Butterfly Conservation.

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...