2013 Year of the Butterfly

Now the butterfly season is drawing to a close this blog is a summary of what a fantastic year it was for butterflies in Somerset especially around the Mendips area.   For us we saw 30 species.

The highlights had to be seeing the Dingy Skipper and Chalkhill Blue a first for us both.  However we cannot fail to mention the magic and joy it brought to us seeing so many butterflies of all species in abundance everywhere.  

 We miss the butterflies already and hope that next year will prove to be a great year for them again and we can improve on seeing 30!

Orange Tip - Kings Wood

Brimstone - Blackdown area

Small Heath

Dingy Skipper - Crook Peak

Grizzled Skipper

Large White

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary - Crook Peak

Painted Lady - Cheddar Gorge

Red Admiral

Small White - seen everywhere!

Speckled Wood - seen right up until 22/9/13

Large Skipper - have never seen so many in lots of locations

Ringlet 

Dark Green Fritillary - Doleberry / Blackdown area - stunning in flight! 

Green Veined White - Greylake

Gatekeeper 

Comma

Comma

Grayling - great to see so many of these in Somerset

Chalk Hill Blue - stunning!

Chalk Hill Blue

Small Skipper

Marbled White - lots to be seen over the grassy Mendips

Small Copper - fantastic markings and colours in this small butterfly

Small Tortoiseshell - a fantastic year for this butterfly

Small Tortoiseshell

Small Skipper and Common Blue - Sand Bay

Peacock

Peacock

Wall - Great to see so many across the Mendips

Common Blue

Common Blue

Clouded Yellow - saw good numbers of these in one locality

Brown Argus

Meadow Brown

Last days of Summer..........

The last day of August and the sun is still shining across the Mendip Hills.  An uplifting 9 mile trek with the heather and gorse still looking vibrant and there is still Scabious, Harebells, White Campion and Knapweed to be seen here and there.  The hemp-agrimony is still attracting plenty of butterflies, in fact every wild flower seems to be a magnet for them.  

We saw a total of 12 species of butterfly Comma, Clouded Yellow, Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White, Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Wall and a Brimstone.  Really did not expect to see so many butterflies still on the wing! 

Not many birds of note but we had great views of a Kestrel, Ravens and flocks of Goldfinches. 

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the 1st of September ...... though the morning and evening chill is a reminder that Autumn is on the way! 

White Campion - great amounts of this lovely plant in the Charterhouse area of the Hills.

Harebells - lovely blue amongst the grasses

Bird's-foot Trefoil

Small Copper

Natures fruits - before being eaten!

Comma on Thistle

Wall butterfly on Hemp-agrimony. It's not often you see this butterfly on a plant

Clouded Yellow

Southern Hawker 

Somerset Levels, Hills and Coast

A glorious 16 miles or so walked over the weekend.  3 very different terrains were covered the nature reserves of Shapwick, Ham Wall and Greylake on the levels, the hills of the Mendips and the coast path around Sand Point and Middle Hope.  The feel of Autumn is now in the air of the early morning and evenings despite the warm days.

Plenty of butterflies still to be seen as well as dragonflies.  Passage migrants are now on the move with  the levels proving rewarding.  How quiet the reed beds have now become with no reed or sedge warblers singing their song, we miss them already! Highlights of the week end were Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Whinchats and a field of Clouded Yellows.  The countryside is still very much alive if you stop to look!

Small Tortoishell on Purple - loosestrife

Red Admiral

Greenshank on the 'scrape' Shapwick

The Hawthorn looking very full everywhere this year

Clouded Yellow seen at Greylake.  20 or more flying along side whites and tortoiseshells in the planted grassy meadow.  A wonderful heart lifting sight to see.

Ruddy Darter at Greylake

Common Darter at Greylake

Rowan berries in all their splendour - lots of Mountain Ash in the woods of the Mendips

A young Roe Deer on our path.  A beautiful sheen and colour to it

 Calluna and Erica, Blackdown is a carpet of purple

Common Fleabane 

Migrant Hawkers, male and female

 

Common Blue - hundreds around Sand Point flowers and grasses

Looking towards Sand Point

Silver Y Moth ,  there seems to be an abundance of them this year.

Middle Hope 'beach'

Middle Hope

One of a family of Kestrels using the sea breeze to practise flying and diving.  Fantastic to observe and watch.

Small Skipper on Scabious - the only skipper seen over the week end.

At least 3 Whinchats in the scrubland of Sand Bay beach.  On their way to Africa what a fantastic surprise.

Young Whinchat - preparing for its  epic journey