Saturday 29 April 2017

Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Green-winged Orchids

Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Boloria euphrosyne
On Thursday I met Mark at Anchor Bottom where we enjoyed the views and the Green-winged Orchids which cover the slope. They are also known as Green-veined Orchids and are small, no doubt due to the lack of water recently. I then visited Rewell Wood and found a pristine Pearl-bordered Fritillary and several moths: Speckled Yellows and a Sharp-winged Drill. I returned the following day and found Grey-gorse Piercer moths, a Common Carpet and a Hemp-agrimony Plume.
Anchor Bottom



Common Milkwort, Polygala vulgaris

Green-winged Orchid, Anacamptis morio
They are also known as Green-veined Orchids



Green-winged Orchid, pink form

Rewell Wood: 
Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Boloria euphrosyne

Sharp-winged Drill, Dichrorampha acuminatana

Garlic Mustard, Alliaria petiolata

Speckled Yellow, Pseudopanthera macularia

Speckled Yellow

Bugle, Ajuga reptans

Wild Strawberry, Fragaria vesca

Woodruff, Galium odoratum

Friday April 28:
Common Carder Bumblebee, Bombus Pascuorum

Common Carpet, Epirrhoe alternata

Grey Gorse Piercer, Cydia ulicetana

Hemp-agrimony Plume, Adaina microdactyla

nestlings, probably Blackbirds, in Gorse bush

Orange-tip egg, Anthocharis cardamines on Garlic Mustard

Orange-tip egg

Thyme-leaved Speedwell, Veronica serpyllifolia

Thyme-leaved Speedwell

Yellow Pimpernel, Lysimachia nemorum

Thursday 27 April 2017

The Duke appears with Dingy attendants

Duke of Burgundy, Hamearis lucina
Tuesday's visit to Kithurst meadow was very fruitful. At 10:30am the temperature was low (15 degC on the ground, air temp 10 degC), and a single Duke of Burgundy appeared. Several other butterfly enthusiasts joined me, including Neil, Dave, Patrick & Jack. Two Dingy Skippers battled in the air but no more Duke's had appeared in the meadow by the time I left at 3:30pm. These two butterflies were firsts for the season. Several moths appeared.
  I am behind posting my Corfu photos and local field trips, so have decided to post the most recent and work backward - I need some rain to keep me indoors...

The meadow has aquired its seasonal covering of Cowslips


White Crab Spider, Misumena vatia (some are yellow)

this one was tiny

White Crab Spider

Scorpion Fly ♂, Panorpa species

Small White Wave, Asthena albulata 

Small White Wave underside

St. Mark's Flies mating, Bibio marci

Twayblade, Neottia ovata

Red-fringed Conch, Falseuncaria ruficiliana

Red-fringed Conch 8mm long

cold Pheasant egg, Phasianus colchicus

Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus

Green Carpet, Colostygia, pectinataria

Duke of Burgundy on an feather bed, Hamearis lucina

Duke of Burgundy

Flesh Flies mating, Sarcophaga species

Furrow Orbweaver, Larinioides cornutus

Germander Speedwell, Veronica chamaedrys

Duke of Burgundy

Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages

Dingy Skipper

Dingy Skipper, checking the temperature

Common Nettle-tap, Anthophila fabriciana

Box Bug, Gonocerus acuteangulatus

Cowslip, Primula veris

Cowslip

Crab Apple, Malus sylvestris

Dark-edged Bee-fly, Bombylius major