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.

 

Redland's Triangle Survey at Paxton

For our monthly wildlife survey at Paxton, we concentrated on an area of Redlands that is particularly good for Wasp Spiders later in the season so were not surprised at the number of Grasshoppers (wasp spider dinners) present in the long-grass areas. Delighted to find a Red-tipped Clearwing, 2 Marbled Whites and several Small Heaths. The plant tally was equally long!! ID sheets at end.

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.