The Two Tunnels Nature Blog

  Cistus Forester moth - Tucking Mill 27-05-2023 2023 Highlights 2023 was generally a good year for butterflies. The weather was significantly wetter than the exceptionally hot and sunny year of 2022 and I was interested to see whether this has had an impact on butterfly populations locally.  Butterfly wise, there were few surprises and no new species to add to the list. However, the year has thrown up some interesting non-butterfly sightings. Mason bee (Osmia bicolor) - Tucking Mill 07-05-2023 On the May 7th I spotted a bee methodically building a stack of grass stems. This turn out to be a Red-tailed Mason bee (Osmia bicolor). They are species of bee that nests in empty snail shells and then covers the shell with grass. It is classified as a "Nationally Notable" species and certainly one I have not seen before. Cistus Forester moth - Tucking Mill 27-05-2023 Another surprise came on the 27th May . Amongst the Dingy and Grizzled skipper butterflies I saw a small metallic...

Species: Large White (1) Meadow Brown (1) Red Admiral (7) Common Lizard - Tucking Mill 08-10-2023 My last visit of the summer was on the 8th October. It was a warm, sunny day with the temperature due to hit around 22c. This temperature is much higher than average for early October!  Common Darter - Tucking Mill 08-10-2023 I visited the embankment, Horsecombe Vale and the fields. There were very few insects about. Most of the butterflies I saw were Red Admirals and they were very active. I saw Common Darter dragonflies in various locations including the embankment and Horsecombe Vale. Red Admiral - Tucking Mill 08-10-2023 The most interesting observations on this trip were the Common Lizards. I saw three in total this day, having only seen two in total over the preceding years this location.

Species: Brown Argus (1) Large White (2) Meadow Brown (3) Painted Lady (1) Red Admiral (2) Small Copper (2) Small White (2) Speckled Wood (1) Southern Hawker Dragonfly - Horsecombe Vale 15-09-2023 The afternoon of the 15th September was warm and sunny with the temperature peaking at 21c. I head first to the embankment. Common Darter Dragonfly - Tucking Mill 15-09-2023 A Common Darter dragonfly was perched on the barbed wire fence that runs along the top boundary of the embankment. It seems to be a favoured perch for this species at this time of year. Painted Lady on Devils' Bit Scabious - Tucking Mill 15-09-2023 On the other side of the fence, a Painted Lady butterfly was nectaring on the abundant Devil's Bit Scabious. Southern Hawker Dragonfly - Horsecombe Vale 15-09-2023 Horsecombe Vale was quiet butterfly wise but I did spot a Southern Hawker dragonfly perched on some vegetation. This is a common species, but pretty spectacular none the less. Small Copper - Tucking Mill 15-0...

Species: Brown Argus (2) Common Blue (2) Meadow Brown (2) Red Admiral (6) Small White (1) Speckled Wood (5) Brown Argus - Tucking Mill 02-09-2023 The afternoon of the 2nd September was warm and sunny with the temperature peaking at 22c. I first headed towards the grassy embankment, just south of the Tucking Mill viaduct. Spotted Flycatcher - Tucking Mill 02-09-2023 There were few butterflies on the embankment itself but my attention was drawn by a small bird fliting in and out of a Elder tree. It appeared to be a Spotted Flycatcher. Devil's Bit Scabious - Tucking Mill 02-09-2023 The field on the other side of the fence was thick with flowering Devil's Bit Scabious. I see this plant growing in various locations in the valley, but this year is is proving abundant. Common Darter Dragonfly - Horsecombe Vale 02-09-2023 In Horsecombe Vale there were a few Red Admiral butterflies and quite a few Common Darter dragonflies. At this time of year, in an early September afternoon, the woo...

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 wa...

Species: Large White (1) Green-veined White (1) Small Skipper (1) Brown Argus (5) Common Blue (6) Gatekeeper (11) Small White (1) Comma (3) Silver-washed Fritillary (6) Meadow Brown (8) Speckled Wood (4) Red Admiral (10) Brimstone (8) Peacock (4) Holly Blue (2) Brown Argus - Tucking Mill 11-08-2023 The 11th August was a mostly cloudy but warm day. The temperature was cooling slightly from a high of around 23c when I arrived at Tucking Mill just before 3pm. My first butterfly was a Red Admiral which I glimpsed as I approached the Viaduct.  Holly Blue  - Tucking Mill 11-08-2023 A Holly Blue was feeding on flowers growing along the edge of the viaduct. These little butterflies with their powdery blue undersides have been doing well over the past couple of years, and have been a fairly common sight in both the countryside and urban areas. Silver-washed Fritillary - Midford 11-08-2023 After a short pause on the Tucking Mill viaduct, I cycled directly to Midford and on to the o...

Species: Silver-washed Fritillary (2) Green-veined White (1) Gatekeeper (4) Meadow Brown (4) Comma (4) Red Admiral (2) White-legged Damselfly - Tucking Mill 21-07-2023 The weather on the 21st was cloudy and cool and I was not expecting to see many butterflies on the wing. The weather had changed to an unsettled pattern over the previous couple of weeks and this was my first chance to visit since the ninth of the month. Gatekeeper butterfly - Tucking Mill 21-07-2023 A few butterflies were seen during my walk around the Tucking Mill valley, including Gatekeeper, Comma and Red Admiral.  Black and yellow longhorn beetle - Horsecombe Vale 21-07-2023 Among the other insects I saw was a Black and yellow longhorn beetle. These large and colourful beetles are seen quite frequently in the shadier, wooded areas. Hoverflies were also present in the more flowery areas. These were mainly of the 'Eristalis' family of species. 'Eristalis' Hoverfly - Horsecombe Vale 21-07-2023 The gra...

Species: Ringlet (1) Red Admiral (2) Peacock (2) Small White (1) Gatekeeper (10) Large White (2) Green-Veined White(2) Silver-washed Fritillary (4) Comma (10) Brimstone (2) Meadow Brown (14) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Small Skipper (2) Common Blue (1) Marbled White (6) Silhouette of Comma Butterfly - Horsecombe Vale 09-07-2023 The 9th July was a sunny day in Bath with the temperature hovering around 20c when I arrived on the Tucking Mill viaduct at about 2.30pm. Silver-washed Fritillary - Midford 07-09-2023 I headed to a point around 200 metres from the far end of the Midford viaduct. Here, just past where the cycle track enters the 'permissive path' section is normally a good spot to see a variety of butterflies at this time of year. Today there were a couple of Silver-washed Fritillary and a Brimstone or two.  Slow worm - Tucking Mill 09-07-2023 The grassy embankment near the Tucking Mill Viaduct was relatively quiet, but I did check the reptile mat. There were several Slow Wor...