Saturday 17th. August 2013

Catching up on the last few days , on Thursday last I did the full butterfly transect at High Elms , in sunny but very windy conditions , the latter keeping numbers down somewhat , but 19 species were recorded , which was very respectable , given that several common species didn't show , but a couple of less common species were found . The full list was :
Small Copper (2) , Large White (16) , Small Heath (1) , Meadow Brown (163) , Painted Lady (2 -

both pictured . They were at either end of the Conservation Field and both nectaring ) , Green-veined White (2) , Ringlet (1) , Common Blue (33 - including two egg laying females ) , Silver-washed

Fritillary (8 - including two egg laying females , one of which , pictured , being well past her sell by date ) , Small White (22) , Brown Argus (7) , Speckled Wood (1) , Small Tortoiseshell (1) ,

Brimstone (2 - male pictured) , Gatekeeper (16) , Chalkhill Blue (1 - pictured , a male , only the

second specimen recorded on site , the first was also on the Conservation Field last year ) ,

White-letter Hairstreak (3 - one pictured , well down on last visit , and only recorded in the bottom

glade) , Comma (4) and Peacock (24) , both pictured . As on previous visits , lots of migrant SilverY

moths flying up from the ground vegetation when passing through , whereas the Burnet Moths seem to have finished now . This morning before the cloud rolled in and the wind got up , I had a short visit to Spring Park Pond , finding a few Common Blue Damselflies , a female Southern Hawker , busily

egg laying but very edgy , probably due to the wind and several pairs of Common Darter , some egg

laying , but others like this pair , having not quite reached that stage yet . Other interest found

included the Common Froghopper / Philaenus spumaris , in quite large numbers , and several

specimens of the hoverfly Eristalis pertinax .