Drought Conditions at Paxton Pits

The temperature at Paxton Pits was bearable yesterday for a work session in the morning clearing round the Dragonfly Pond and the Bee banks. I made a circuit of the reserve in the afternoon hoping for some good macro subjects for the camera. Certainly my favourite Jade Hoppers were there hiding in the grass plus Robber Fly and a couple of  Hemiptera. Common Darters and Ruddy Darters are fairly abundant but otherwise very few insects found at all with so few flowers and foliage left. 

Hot Afternoon at Hardwick Wood

I was not alone in Hardwick Wood yesterday afternoon as the temperature rose - lots of Ruddy Darters were  hunting prey from sunlit perches while Silver-washed Fritillaries, Gatekeepers and two Hummingbird Hawkmoths were feeding on the abundant knapweed along the Port Way. This ancient track is a model habitat for butterflies and other insects with woodland shelter on one side, a close mown path and a wide unmown area and ditch on the other. (It has been pointed out that the butterfly I photographed on the the Port Way was a Dark Green Fritillary - (not the Silver-washed I was expecting as fairly abundant still inside the wood) - presumably a vagrant from a breeding colony - there are some good chalkhill habitats just south of us).

 

Dragonflies at Paxton Pits

A visit to Cobham Hide followed by a walk up the Haul Road at Paxton Pits produced a sizeable list of Dragonflies and Damsels etc. The star was definitely the Southern Migrant Hawker, a fairly newly listed species for the UK and my first sighting of one. Otherwise while Brown Hawker (egg laying), Emerald  Damsel, Common Blue Damsel, Ruddy Darter and Banded Demoiselle are still in prime condition, some other species are coming to the end of their brief lives like the Four-spot Chaser and Emperor Dragonfly

Lakenheath Insects

As expected on a warm humid day, there was plenty of insect activity at RSPB Lakenheath Fen with lots of Banded Demoiselles, Ruddy Darters and some Green-eyed Hawkers on the wing occasionally settling for a portrait. Painted Ladies topped the butterfly numbers with Peacocks and at least two Skipper species present in good numbers. Lots of Horseflies around - great for photography of eyes but insect repellent definitely needed to protect the skin. Photographing with the 300mm plus1.4 converter worked well for the butterflies aiming to create soft backgrounds.

Lackford Autumn Sunshine

Lackford Lakes looked at their best in the sunshine yesterday and the hundreds of Migrant Hawkers were certainly enjoying the warm conditions. A lot of the time, I was shooting into the light giving dark backgrounds and contrasty subjects but this first shot allows all the detail of the markings of this male. Other species were Willow Emerald, Ruddy Darter, Water Boatmen, Pond Skater, Sand Wasp, Small Copper, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Green-Veined White, Tachnid Fly and Ivy Bee.