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.

Spiders and Insects Toft and Trumpington

A mixed bag of images from the garden and from yesterday's Butterfly transect at Trumpington. The spiderlings on the parent's back caught my eye as I was deheading flowers yesterday along with various other spiders and beetles. Literally hundreds of Marbled Whites at Trumpington along with other species including the usual frustrating Skippers that are difficult to separate into species. 

 

Lark Rise Farm Barton (Countryside Regeneration Trust)

 Lots of butterflies around for our morning visit with Marbled White by far the commonest species. I was looking for butterflies and other insects in good condition and on attractive perches away from other vegetation to try for some pictorial images. The wind was the greatest barrier to achieving this but here are a few that I liked plus a species sheet for those seen in the 90 minutes we spent there

Marbled Whites, Southern Hawkers etc in Toft

 At last a variety of Butterflies are on the wing in Toft - not large numbers but several Marbled Whites (all males present in the day and coming in to roost) Meadow Browns  and  Small Heaths and single Large Skipper and Gatekeeper. So far two Southern Hawkers have emerged from our pond (earlier we had Four-spot and Broad -bodied Chasers). Delighted to find a Bryony Bee on the White Bryony - a species p that was restricted to the Southern counties. On a morning walk around the wood and fields with a not very long lens, it was good to see a Hare and Buzzard with a mouse.