Polo and Picnic

Lots of action at our annual picnic at the polo on Sunday though very unforgiving light. Here a small selection from the three matches.

A Great Time for Dragons

We spent Friday afternoon at the Dragonfly pools which were teeming with different species. They were all very active in the heat so only managed one flight shot - of Common Darters and this wasn't great! Plenty of Emperors laying everywhere, also more Red-Eyed Damselflies than I have seen before, including battallions on the water ready for take off. Over the fields and along the hedgerows Migrant Hawkers (with Brown Hawkers) were busy catching insects. A real summer idyll showing what can be achieved by organic farming!!

Wildlife at Larkrise Farm, Barton

Larkrise Farm Barton is managed by The Countryside Restoration Trust who have transformed it from an intensively farmed wildlife desert into a productive arable farm teeming with wildlife, including Butterflies, Spiders etc. This has been achieved using farming methods such as smaller field sizes, crop rotations, leaving over-wintering stubble, beetle banks, wildlife strips and planting over 4.5 miles of new hedgerows. Here Common Blues, Gatekeepers, Small Copper and Marbled White. Spiders included the impressive Wasp Spider.

 

Ted on his Morning Walk

A few images from my morning walk route with Ted around Toft. The barley in these fields look ready for harvest and, so far, have escaped storm damage.

After the Rain at Sharpenhoe

I was hoping to find roosting butterflies on Sunday knowing there were large numbers of Chalkhill blues etc sheltering somewhere - no luck with that but lots of other insects and spiders either resting up or continuing to feed etc in the wet conditions. These tiny brilliant-green-eyed flies on a Cirsium thistle (Terellia serratulae, a Gall fly) were my favourites of the day.

 

Sharpenhoe Refracted in Raindrops

After all the recent hot sunny days - perfect for Butterflies - the day of our RPS visit to Sharpenhoe to photograph ChalkHill Blues etc dawned wet and windy. Although it didn't rain during our time there, it was dull and breezy. There were a few insects to be found, often roosting and cover in rain drops like this Burnet moth (more to follow). The image of the Knapweed set me off exploring how the world is seen through raindrops, which act as tiny lenses. Here are a few offerings.