As I had seen one or two elsewhere, I thought perhaps the Marbled Whites had forsaken Toft Wood Meadow but today there were more than a dozen newly hatched males flying around and nectaring. First recorded in the wood as a newcomer to the area on July 11th 2012, they spread through England as the climate has gone warmer and appear earlier each year. Also lots of Skippers now and other moths and butterflies plus the usual quota of plant bugs and flies (ID sheet included).
We hadn't visited the Shuttleworth Collection and Swiss garden at Old Warden for several years and so decided on a visit there yesterday, remembering the cafe for an old-fashioned brunch and large areas of wild garden beyond the formal area in the Swiss Garden. Unfortunately the cafe has been modernised and, just our luck, the kitchen was closed. The gardens are still impressive for the tall trees etc but it has all been 'tidied ' up and certainly is no longer the haven it was for insects. These are all I found in a 90 minute visit - the Welsh Chafer (brown beetle) has not been reported on the NBN atlas anywhere in the area so was an interesting find. The strange looking bug is a nymphal stage of the Tree Damsel Fly. Certainly the very hot conditions did not favour an insect hunt except for the Four-Spot Chasers.
It has been very warm and mostly sunny for the last few days and the insects seem to be 'enjoying' it though they sensibly shelter under leaves etc at the hottest times. Here are a variety of residents and visitors, including a brief morning call from a Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Red Admiral and Meadow Browns , which are present in large numbers, two moth species, and various flies, beetles etc
