A Butterfly Conservation Open Day and Rimac

 An excellent day again, organised by Butterfly Conservation and Natural England. First up was several wasp spiders right next to the car park, more than last year and yet more evidence of climate change as these are a southern European species. There were two walks: one south through the dunes and one north to Sea View. Despite the brisk  westerly breeze there were good numbers of butterflies in the 24C temperatures. There were very large numbers of common blues and I was pleased to get shots of brown argus and small copper as well as wall brown, a speciality of the reserve. The highlight, however, was a clouded yellow. Quite a few of these beautiful butterflies have appeared this year; climate change in action as they also are a southern European species.

Brown Argus

Common Blue

Common Blue

Common Blue

Curious Lincoln Red Cattle

Small Copper

Small Heath

Wall

Wasp Spider

Butterfly Conservation Open Day, Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe

 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.

Black-tailed Skimmer

Male Emerald Damselfly

Brown Argus

Common Blue

Gatekeeper

Meadow Brown

Peacock

Small Red-Eyed Damselfly

Ruddy Darter male

Ruddy Darter female

Ruddy Darter female

Ruddy Darter male

Ruddy Darter male

Silver Y moth

Silver Y moth

Small/Essex Skipper

Small/Essex Skipper

Wasp Spider

Wasp Spider

National Nature Reserves Week, Butterfly Conservation Walk.

 Most of the group had already arrived as I drew into the car park at the Rimac entrance to Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR, one of my favourite places to visit. The walk was organised by Natural England who manage the reserve and led by Lincs Butterfly Conservation committee members, Dave Wright and Toby Ludlow. Dave and Toby are both incredibly skilled at butterfly ID and knowledgeably about their ecology. Twenty of us made our way south from the car park, taking in the easy access trail and then following the path through the dunes to the MOD track which we followed to the edge of the salt marsh. We returned to the car park by following the path along the dune/msalt marsh edge. We were very fortunate with the weather. It was sunny and warm despite the constant nagging NE wind which we have had for days now. We saw the following butterflies: brown argus, small heath, green hairstreak, small copper, peacock, wall, common blue, small white and orange tip. Day flying moths included: burnett companion, silver Y, grass rivulet, lattice heath, mother shipton, cinnabar and yellow belle. We were fortunate to see a few dragonflies and damselflies: female broad-bodied chaser, four-spotted chaser, hairy dragonfly, azure damselfly and large red damselfly. Notable birds we saw were skylark, swallow, swift, woodpigeon, crow, reed bunting, marsh harrier, mallard, gadwall, tufted duck, grey lag, grasshopper warbler (reeling from the top of a sea buckthorn - amazing!), chiffchaff, chaffinch, cuckoo, pheasant, avocet, little egret and buzzard. As well as southern marsh orchids I was delighted to find early marsh orchids.

An absolutely excellent day.

Broad-bodied chaser

Brown argus

Brown argus

Common Blue Female

Common Blue Female

Common Blue male

Early marsh orchid

Common Blue Female

Southern marsh orchid

Four-spotted chaser

Green Hairstreak

Female green hairstreak egg laying

Green hairstreak egg

Small copper

Small heath

Yellow flag iris

A Big Butterfly Count

 A warm walk around the Woodland Burial Ground today to carry out a Big Butterfly Count for Butterfly Conservation.  Despite seeming quiet with few on the wing and the fact that the council have flailed the vegetation on the path around the ouside, I had a reasonable count: Large White 4, Speckled Wood 6, Small White 2, Meadow Brown 3, Gatekeeper 3, Red Admiral 1 and Peacock 1.  There also a few dragonflies present but sadly not settling: Common Darter and Migrant Hawker.

To view large, please click on an image.

Large White

Meadow Brown

Red Admiral

Speckled Wood

Big Butterfly Count at Donna Nook

 Jet needed a walk today and not wanting to take him over fields because of the problem with grass seeds we decided on the coast and opted for Donna Nook to avoid Cleethorpes crowds.  It also gave me another opportunity to carry out a Big Butterfly Count for Butterfly Conservation.

After parking we made our way through the dunes and onto the edge of the salt marsh, the seal viewing area in winter.  The difference in the habitat was amazing,: the dunes were a mass of colour from a host of flowering plants:

• Crocosmia
• Ragwort
• Rosebay Willowherb
• Sea Lavender
• Thrift
• Sea Spurrey
• Knapweed
• Spear and creeping thistle
• Common Mallow
• Dog Daisy
• Ladies Bedstraw
• Yarrow
• Field Bindweed
• Goatsbeard
• Teasel
• Meadow Vetchling
• White campion
• Weld
• Yellow Rattle
• Hop Trefoil
• Black Medic
• Ribwort Plantain
• Tufted Vetch
• Red Campion

The sea lavender on the salt marsh looked absolutely stunning; who needs lavender fields!!

The seaward side of the dunes was very windy and few butterflies were showing so we walked as far as the north end of the realignment area where Pyes Hall Sluice was taken out where we crossed through to the sheltered side of the dunes.  I began my 15 minute BB Count here:

• Small skipper 37
• Meadow Brown 1
• Ringlet 7
• Small White 3
• Gatekeeper 4

I continued to cout beyond this but small skippers were so numerous I gave up counting them.

• Meadow Brown 4
• Ringlet 10
• Small White 1
• Gatekeeper 5

We had a very enjoyable walk and the realignment area is looking reall well now with large flooded areas and lots of waders.  Nothing out of the ordinary today but looks good for the Autumn.