Today the Lincolnshire branch of Butterfly Conservation were holding an open day at the Rimac entrance to Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR hosted by the wardens from Natural England: Owen Beaumont and Renata Jackson.Most members of the Lincolnshire Branch committe were there to lead guided walks so it was good to put faces to names as well as catch up with those I do know. Pater Cawdell, one of the founder members of the local branch was there and it turns out he was at Horncastle Grammar School at the same time as me, two years below me so we were able to reminisce about schooldays as well as butterflies. It was a very successful and enjoyable day with two guided walks led by Dave Wright, Branch contact and a friend from Grimsby. It was a very warm (28C) and breezy day so insects were very active and difficult to catch up with for photography. I have seen very few common blues this year so it was really good to see so many. I saw my first brown argus, small copper and wall brown of the year but the only one I managed to photograph was the argus. Small/essex skippers were plentiful. There were also large numbers of dragon and damselflies on the wing mainly ruddy darters, but I also saw black-tailed skimmer, emerald damselfly, brown hawker, small red-eyed damselfly and a fleeting glimpse of an emperor. The highlight of the day, however was a wasp spider, a first record for the reserve. I last saw them in Menorca.
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