Drought Conditions at Summer Leys

The usually still lush meadow at Summer Leys is almost entirely without flowers now - just the Fleabane and a few remaining thistle flowers supporting a much reduced number of insect species. Below some of my favourite finds during the day, As at Paxton Migrant Hawkers reign supreme over the lakes and ponds while Small Heath, Small Copper, Brown Argus and Small White are the main butterfly species. It was an RPSNature outing so I was concentrating on backgrounds, composition rather than ID and species list but a few comedy shots also snuck in like the first Carder Bee out for a stroll and the shy grasshopper.

Trumpington Meadows Butterfly Transect

Other than a few green stinging nettles nestled in the hedgerows, everywhere is dry and brown as in other reserves, so we were not expecting and did not find large numbers of Butterflies on our weekly transect. Small Coppers, Small Heaths, Small Whites, Brown Argus and Common Blues were the only species present in any numbers. I photographed a single Green-veined White and a Hummingbird hawkmoth egg laying plus a couple of Wasp Spiders.

 

Parched Meadows

Perfect weather for our Week 16 Butterfly transect at Trumpington Meadows yesterday lunchtime - sunny 25 degrees with gentle breeze. Lots of bees around including these two Cuckoo bees Bombus rupestris - a very large impressive orange-tailed bee (host ?Bombus lapidarius)  and Bombus campestris (host mainly Carder Bee). Butterflies looking a bit worn but still finding nectar in the sparse flower heads. Usual ID problems of distant Brown Argus and Common Blues plus quite wide ranging Small Blues. Also found an impressive Wasp Spider in the hedgerow.

Walk at Trumpington Meadows

A very enjoyable walk at Trumpington Meadows with sharp-eyed friends so we managed to find several Small Blues, some mating and laying for a second brood, Gatekeepers along with some Meadow Browns (mated pair) and Brown Argus and Burnet Moths everywhere, again often coupled. We also had brief views of two migrant visitors - Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady. The last two are images are of two of the many spiders - Misumena  vatia and Enoplognatha ovata. The bee took my eye as being different but the conclusion seems to be that it is too worn and faded to be identified!! Update - as Ann T had a good face shot, it is now identified as Bombus ruderatus