Firstly , thanks again to Dean/DDD , for identifying last night's moths . Light Emerald and Brown china-mark in that order . Also to ShySongbird for putting forward Amblyteles armatorius for the Ichneunom , which I originally thought it was . But now I am going for Ichneumon suspiciosus , unless anyone knows better ?
After sorting out some chores this morning , with the strong wind back again , I set off for a site just over the county border in Surrey , that I heard had done really well with Small Blue butterflies this year , with three figures being mentioned . Not really a butterfly day , arriving in cloudy , cool conditions , with the occasional sunny period , the highlight of the visit were , 
several male Marbled Whites , frantically searching for females when the sun appeared , then returning to shelter when the sun went ,
Rest-harrow /Ononis repens , a member of the Pea family , 
the rains have produced good sized Wild Strawberries/Fragaria vesca , a member of the Rose family . This one almost the size of a small marble ,
I should be scratching my head over this one , but I think it is the same species posted by Rob/The Living Isle last night , Chrysotoxum bicinctum , thanks Rob ,
eventually I did find some Small Blues , this shot showing how small they are , especially if the forewing is lowered ,
nowhere near the three figures mentioned , but I would estimate 15/20 seen , and it is coming to the end of their flight season , 
a very fresh Small Tortoiseshell , also seen , Small Heath , Speckled Wood , Large and Small Skipper and Large White . Considering the conditions , not a bad tally .
several male Marbled Whites , frantically searching for females when the sun appeared , then returning to shelter when the sun went ,Rest-harrow /Ononis repens , a member of the Pea family , the rains have produced good sized Wild Strawberries/Fragaria vesca , a member of the Rose family . This one almost the size of a small marble ,I should be scratching my head over this one , but I think it is the same species posted by Rob/The Living Isle last night , Chrysotoxum bicinctum , thanks Rob ,eventually I did find some Small Blues , this shot showing how small they are , especially if the forewing is lowered ,nowhere near the three figures mentioned , but I would estimate 15/20 seen , and it is coming to the end of their flight season , a very fresh Small Tortoiseshell , also seen , Small Heath , Speckled Wood , Large and Small Skipper and Large White . Considering the conditions , not a bad tally .After lunch , a short visit to Spring Park Pond , with conditions much the same , the highlights being ,
my first Essex Skipper of the year ,
I looked for the Peacock caterpillars , but couldn't find them as the Bracken is now taller than me , and was surprised to find this tatty adult in the same area ,
with just two Large Red Damselflies around the pond , my search focused on the Bramble/scrub areas around the meadow , which held 20+ Large Skippers , and even though this female in the middle had two suitors , she mated with neither . More Marbled Whites , Small Skippers , Ringlets and Meadow Browns were also recorded .
The Brambles also turned up the caterpillar of the Knotgrass moth .
my first Essex Skipper of the year ,I looked for the Peacock caterpillars , but couldn't find them as the Bracken is now taller than me , and was surprised to find this tatty adult in the same area ,with just two Large Red Damselflies around the pond , my search focused on the Bramble/scrub areas around the meadow , which held 20+ Large Skippers , and even though this female in the middle had two suitors , she mated with neither . More Marbled Whites , Small Skippers , Ringlets and Meadow Browns were also recorded .The Brambles also turned up the caterpillar of the Knotgrass moth .Once again , not every species has been identified today ,
what looks like a small Solitary Bee with a distinctive head ,
and this specimen , looking a bit leaf/froghopper like , but I have never seen it before .
what looks like a small Solitary Bee with a distinctive head ,and this specimen , looking a bit leaf/froghopper like , but I have never seen it before .
6 comments:
Greenie, A lovely angle on the Marbled White.
That strawberry would be worth a small fortune at Wimbledon.
I agonised over Ichneumon suspiciosus before plumping for the other one :) Oh well, I will have a try at the first unidentified insect today which I think may be Sicus ferrugineus.
An interesting post as always Greenie. You certainly are seeing a lot more butterflies down in your direction than there are here. The poor old Peacock did look shabby!
I particularly liked the third Small Blue photo.
Some nice shots again Greenie. That Peacock looks just like I felt a couple of times over the weekend!
Hi Greenie, some great shots there, especially the Marbled White, and Small Blue.
Stunning Marbled white photo Greenie. They haven't emerged around these parts as yet
Hi Greenie. That last insect looks rather like, to me at least, the Tomoxia bucephala that Graeme Lyons posted a video of on his site yesterday.
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