Insects from Royston Heath

Here a few images from our afternoon visit to Royston Heath on Friday in a sheltered spot where there were flowering Berberis bushes and Alexander plants plus lots of nettles supporting many different species. I was pleased with the accidental capture of a beetle taking off, mating Bibio flies, Nursery spider with Crane Fly, Brown-tailed Moth caterpillars which will strip all the hawthorn bushes etc, Andrena fulva, Lygos Bug, two species of Click Beetles, Ichneumon wasp, Hawthorn Bug, Common Carder bee and Ashy Mining Bee

Male Marbled Whites Have Emerged

There were numerous Marbled Whites on Royston Heath this afternoon - all males and keen to feed on the Thistles. Red Kites flew overhead while a pair of mating Robber flies clung on to swaying grasses. The other chalk flowers were Knapweed-Broomrape, Bee Orchids, Clustered Bell Flower, Dropwort and seeds of the Pasque Flower

Royston Helleborine and Adonis Blue Trip

Wonderful display of White Helleborines in the woods at Royston this year - difficult to photograph in any lighting but especially in strong dappled sunlight!! We saw plenty of male Adonis Blue butterflies but no females only the somewhat similar Brown Argus butterflies.

 

Windy Walk on Royston Heath

I walked across Royston Heath, through the Beechwoods and back along the edge of the golf course this morning admiring the winter trees and wind-swept clouds. As with my hunt for flowers in bloom in Toft on January 1st, I found only a single dandelion and small patches of Groundsel though the Hazel catkins are in full flower

 

Royston Heath Pasque Flowers

We made our annual pilgrimage to Royston Heath to see the Pasque flowers late yesterday afternoon. Not the best conditions as very windy so focus stacks were difficult/ A very good year in terms of numbers of flowers though they have been damaged by the frosts and winds.