Butterflies etc at RSPB Sandy

Wednesday stayed cloudy till lunchtime so any butterflies we found were resting like this delicate Essex Skipper with its ink-dipped antennae When the sun broke through the lavender revealed Large Skipper and Small Skipper along with Brown Argus. Wonderful to see Gatekeepers and Large Whites in good numbers along with an obliging Purple Hairstreak on an Oak branch and two moths - a Mint Moth and a Scarlet Tiger. There were also lots of Emperor and other Large Dragonflies - too fast to capture in the lens and so I finish on two Blue-tailed Damselflies from the morning's dull and sometimes rainy conditions.

Bees and Wasps at RSPB Sandy

Yesterday started pleasantly cool for our macrophoto outing to RSPB Sandy but, by lunchtime, the clouds began to break and lots of insects especially Bee and Wasp species  became active including Green-eyed Flower Bees on the Lavendar, a Sharp-tailed Wasp and a Cercaria Wasp that catches and transports various varieties of Weevils to it nest burrows in the sand and an iridescent green and red  Cuckoo Wasp waiting to lay eggs in one of the  wasp nests.

I have identified the ones I photographed as far as possible in final image.

Riverfly Survey in Toft

Toft Bourn Brook Group is carrying out surveys of the invertebrate species in the Brook according to the Riverfly rules and regulations for acquiring the samples and then counting the species found in the water. The species that are monitored include Mayflies, Olives, Stoneflies, Shrimps and  Caddis flies. Timed samples are taken and then examined for the Groups shown on the circular chart and the numbers of individuals counted. We also found very young Loach and American Crayfish plus Beetles, various Midge larvae and Pond Skaters etc

Garden Project - Effects of the Heat

The garden is about a month ahead compared to the last two years and has a definite mid to late summer look. For instance, the Yellow Foxgloves (image 6) are almost over this year but don't usually start flowering till July. The fact the borders are well packed with different height plants has helped but the soil is so dry and compacted now. The 

Compare with July 17th last year - Ann Miles Blog: Garden Project 13 - In the Summer Heat