More butterflies

I hate to drone on but it has been stupendous here for butterflies this year compared to the last two summers. Assuming that the skippers I have seen are all Small Skippers ( and I am still reviewing that as one or two of the photos have me leaning towards an Essex Skipper but that is still to be confirmed) then we are at 15 species so far but it is the quantity rather than the diversity that is so impressive. I am a little concerned that a large number of meadows locally have been cut already due to the extended heat but here most of the fields will only be cut when the flowers have seeded and the butterflies have laid their eggs. For the record the species are Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Marbled White, Large White, Comma, Small White, Gatekeeper, Green-veined White and Peacock. Pictured is a Small Skipper on Greater Bird's-Foot Trefoil.

Buzzards in bloody action

We often see buzzards overhead but I usually don't have my camera in hand so the other day I snapped a couple of shots when I had the opportunity. A majestic sight to see. Just a few hours later we found a buzzard on the ground in our neighbours hen run, having just killed one of the hens - not quite as pleasant a sight. We have also in the past seen one pick a live rabbit off the road in front of the car. The windscreen darkened as it swooped over the car to take the rabbit which was at the time only worrying about being run over.

Fungi in the field

It's not yet time for the waxcaps to appear but meanwhile there are some stunning Boletus fungi under a Beech tree in the top field. I think the two I photographed are the same species at a different stage of development but I am not sure. The first specimen was impressive for its size - 20 cm across the cap and its vivid yellow and brown colouring. The second has a deep orangey red underside and just a thin line of yellow between the red and the chocolate brown of the cap. I struggle with fungi identification but I will plump for both being Boletus ssp. Both immediately stained blue as the flesh was exposed.

Meadow Brown variant

A week ago I was watching what appeared to be a Meadow Brown when I noticed it had two white marks in its eye spot. Now one of the ways that you can distinguish the somewhat similar butterflies, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers, is by seeing whether they have one or two white marks in their eye spot. Meadow Browns have one mark. There are other differences but when the butterfly is on a flower with its wings folded then this is a useful tool to identify it. However I was sure this was a Meadow Brown and I had not seen any Gatekeepers so far this year so I consulted the books. My butterfly book revealed that this was 'not an absolute rule, for one occasionally finds a Meadow Brown with two white pupils, but these generally occur in Scotland, far North of the Gatekeeper's range'. An internet forum revealed someone seeing a similar Meadow Brown in Devon. I have been looking more closely at Meadow Browns as there are plenty around and I have now seen more with two white marks in their eye spot. I have also today seen my first Gatekeepers of the season and they are of course quite different in profile when you look closely at the markings on their wings. So it could be that the two spot variant is more common than people think or maybe we have a genetic hot spot here for the variant or maybe the unusual hot weather somehow favours the 2-spotter.

Marbled Whites on the wing again

It continues to be a good butterfly show in this prolonged hot spell. Yesterday the Marbled Whites took to the wing. This is a very handsome butterfly that displays itself proudly as it is poisonous to predators. Hopefully I can get some better pictures in the next few days but here is a starter. There continues to be large numbers of Meadow Browns and Ringlets and increasingly a number of Tortoiseshells.

Loadsa butterflies

I have been surprised at how few butterflies I see here given the number and variety of flowers in our meadows. However in the last few days of heat they have arrived - big time. Hundreds of butterflies and everywhere you look in the fields or the garden there are a number on the wing. It is perhaps a little disappointing that 99% of them are Meadow Browns or Ringlets and that the only other species I have seen in the last few days are a few Tortoiseshells and one Speckled Wood but overall it is great to see the meadows alive with butterflies for the first time. Hopefully our meadows management has contributed to this resurgence but I suspect it is mainly weather related. The out-of-focus photo contains a number of butterflies - but they appear to be dark splodges. It might convey the density of insects on the wing. I am eagerly anticipating some Marbled Whites as they appeared last year in small numbers and they are a great sight to see on the wing.

6-spot Burnets - back in force

There are a lot of 6-spot Burnets around - so many that they are having to share knapweed flowerheads! The photo of Burnets on Knapweed is a common one but the colours are irrestible.