Again needing some exercise, I set out on a warm and sunny afternoon only intending to walk a circuit of the woodland burial ground, but on a whim I nipped through the judiciously placed gap in the perimeter fence onto the Horsefield. I immediately started seeing more butterflies; they seem few in number in the burial ground, perhaps because the council, in their wisdom, have flailed the vegetation around the edge of the path. Whites were plentiful, although they refused to perch and some were distant but the 15 I saw were either small or large whites. Gatekeepers and meadow browns were on the wing and I was delighted to find 4 pristine small heaths. A late brood must have emerged as many butterflies are now looking quite worn. The find of the day, though, was the good numbers of common blues attracted to the knapweed growing at the eastern edge of the field. The benefit of the horses on the field is that where they have been tethered the soil is disturbed and they keep the rank grasses cropped short. This results the following year in verdant growth of birdsfoot trefoil, yellow rattle and knapweed, all attracting insects. Amongst the male common blues were a few small brown butterflies which I assumed were females, but having compared my photographs to my field guides and checked the differences on the internet, I am more convinced that they are brown argus, which is a very satisfying find for the Horsefield.
I finished my circuit of the Horsefield and squeezed back through the fence to complete my cemetery circuit. There were a few dragonflies on the wing and I saw both migrant Hawker and Common Darter. I even managed a very distant shot (for a macro lens) of a male Migrant. An excellent session.
To view large, please click on an image.
No comments:
Post a Comment