The Two Tunnels Nature Blog

Species: Comma (1) Common Blue (1) Dingy Skipper (1) Green Hairstreak (1) Green-veined White (2) Grizzled Skipper (2) Holly Blue (1) Large Skipper (2) Orange Tip (3) Painted Lady (1) Peacock (1) Speckled Wood (1) Large Skipper - Tucking Mill 28-05-2022 The 28th of May was a cloudy day with the occasional sunny interlude. I arrived at the Tucking Mill viaduct at around 3pm, and headed straight for a section of embankment that often harboured butterflies at this time of year. Common Blue Damselfly - Tucking Mill 28-05-2022 Being rather cloudy, there were not many butterflies to be seen. A lone Green Hairstreak could be seen nectaring on Birds-foot Trefoil the other side of the fence, and some odd looking day-flying moths could be seen in the distance. What was noticeable were the many small damselflies that flew up from the grass as I moved along the fence line. I believe these to be the Common Blue damselflies. Common Carpet moth - Tucking Mill 28-05-2022 On many of my wanderings, I com...

Species: Brimstone (1) Comma (1) Common Blue (3) Dingy Skipper (6) Green Hairstreak (2) Grizzled Skipper (4) Holly Blue (1) Painted Lady (3) Peacock (3) Small White (1) Speckled Wood (1) (Possibly) a Five-spot Burnet moth- Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 (Note the micromoth below the left wings, probably Cocksfoot Moth - Glyphipterix simpliciella) The weather was promising as I set off for todays trip. My last excursion, back on the 7th May, was limited by slow moving clouds obscuring the sun. Not so today, the temperature had reached 20c and the clouds had parted.  Green Hairstreak - Tucking Mill 22-05-2022 I headed off to a spot where I had, a few years ago, seen Marsh Fritillary butterflies. Armed with binoculars I scanned the field without success. This is a notoriously rare and fickle butterfly, often appearing and disappearing from one year to the next. I did spot two Green Hairstreak butterflies here though. This is the third location in the valley where I have now seen this b...

Species : Brimstone (2) Comma (1) Dingy Skipper (4) Green-veined White (2) Grizzled Skipper (2) Holly Blue (2) Peacock (3) Small White (1) Speckled Wood (1) The cycle path between Tucking Mill and Midford 07-05-2022 The weather was promising when I set off on my trip on the 7th May. It was warm and sunny with broken cloud as I exited the tunnels at around 2:30pm.  However, the few clouds that slowly drifted across the sky were not playing ball. Much of this excursion would be under cloudy skies, limiting the number of butterflies active and visible. I decided to ride on over the Midford Viaduct and out towards the village of Wellow where the off-road section of path finishes. It was on this section of the path where I saw the distinctive shape and flight pattern of a Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly fly pass me in the opposite direction. Red Campion - Midford Station -07-05-2022 With the sun still firmly stuck behind a slow moving cloud, I then made my way slowly back towards Midford...

Species: Brimstone (6) Comma (1) Dingy Skipper (2) Green Hairstreak (2) Grizzled Skipper (4) Large White (1) Orange Tip (4) Peacock (8) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Small White (3) Speckled Wood (2) Green Hairstreak - Tucking Mill 24-04-2022 A nice, warm spring afternoon (17c) brought out a total of 11 species and 35 individuals for my trip today. My excursion started at around 2.15pm when I emerged from the Combe Down tunnel. I decided to cycle on to Midford and work my way back slowly.  I checked out the Buckthorn bushes where I saw a Brimstone butterfly laying eggs on the 15th April. No more eggs had been laid in the intervening days, not that I could find anyway.  Speckled Wood - Midford 24-04-2022 The clouds broke and the sun appeared, along with a yellow, male Brimstone and a Speckled Wood butterfly. I started counting!   As I started back to the Midford I paused to photograph one of several Cuckoo flowers growing by the side of the path. One complete with an Orange...

 Species: Brimstone (13) Comma (2) Orange Tip (6) Peacock (14) Small White (2) Speckled Wood (2) Brimstone butterfly laying eggs on Buckthorn - Midford 15-04-2022 The first really warm day of the year for my trip today. Good amounts of sunshine and a temperature of around 19c greeted me as I emerged from the Combe Down tunnel at 2pm. I headed off towards Midford without pausing for too long. I would return more slowly through the afternoon counting what I saw along the way.  The cycle path near Midford station The section of the path as I approached Midford Station was starting to come into its best, with a mixture of Bluebells, Wood Anemones and the yellow of Celandine mixing with an early sprinkle of  Wild Garlic (Ramsons).  Robin - Midford 15-04-2022 I paused at the bench near the derelict platform. Here a Robin paused also, to watch my every move before flying into the shrubbery that covers the steep embankment. A noisy outburst from it's hungry chicks followed ...

  Species: Comma (3) Orange Tip (1) Peacock (6) Small Tortoiseshell (2) Small tortoiseshell - Tucking Mill 24-03-2022 The sunny and warm spell of weather had continued for some days as I set off along the cycle-path for my first 'butterfly' trip of the year. I had visited the area on the 18th March when the weather conditions were far less favourable for butterflies. Today was different. The weather was fine and sunny with the temperature reaching around 17c. Comma - Midford 24-03-2022 I had seen butterflies before today. I had seen Brimstone, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies whilst out walking the dog. I hadn't up this point seen a Comma. This was to change as I paused on the path just south of Midford. A Comma found me, rather than the other way around. After flitting around near to where I stood, it settled for a while on my hand before flying off to sit above the path on an overhanging branch. Comma - Tucking Mill 24-03-2022 This Comma was one of three I saw...