Paxton September Butterfly and Dragonfly Transect

For the first time this year, we had warm sunny weather (in the morning anyway) for our monthly Butterfly and Dragonfly Transcept. The counts were dominated by Common Darters and Willow Emerald Damselflies with Small Copper, Small White, Commas and Speckled Wood Butterflies the most frequent butterflies. We also had quite a few Migrant Hawkers and one Southern (on Blackberry).

Signs of Autumn

The appearance of the Ivy bees in the garden, timed to coincide with the Ivy flowering, is a sign that autumn is approaching. Lots of insects yesterday both on the ivy flowers and on the nettles below where the nectar has dropped, even a very tatty Speckled Wood. The Kite-tailed Robberfly was finding plenty of prey. The final two images are of an extraordinary looking very small plant bug - both its nymphal stage and adult that was hiding in the grass at my feet.

Hickling Broad

A very enjoyable day at Hickling Broad yesterday - amazingly we must have seen around 20 different Swallowtails and only one other butterfly - a Speckled Wood. Emperor moth caterpillars were every where together with Wooly Bear (caterpillars of Garden? Tiger moths. Lots of other insects and also birds including flying Bitterns and Cranes.