Red Admiral completes the butterfly set for 2014

The only butterfly of the 20 species I have recorded over the four years we have been here, that I hadn't seen this year, was the Red Admiral and one made itself known today. It had a large chunk taken out of its wing, possibly by the Spotted Flycatcher I saw chasing butterflies a couple of weeks ago, but suprisingly it seemed to have no trouble flying. Normally I would say the Red Admiral was a handsome butterfly but perhaps not in this case.

New species - Weasel

No photo I'm afraid - even if I had had my camera in hand I doubt I would have got the picture. A weasel stuck its head out of an entrance to the bank vole palace that is our garden wall and then disappeared again. We were wondering why we hadn't seen any sign of the bank voles for a couple of weeks and now we know why. There must be stoats around as well, given our rabbit population but no sightings yet.

First waxcap of the season - Spangle Waxcap

I'm determined to get a full list of waxcap species this year for our site. Having just found the first one I have identified it as Spangle Waxcap (Hygrocybe insipida). I find some waxcaps difficult to id but given the slimy cap and stem and the decurrent gills I am happy with this one.

New species - Wasp Spider

This startling spider has built an extraordinary web using a metal cage that was protecting an orchid from the rabbits as the main supports and featuring a vertical spiral pipe. The large spider (it's a female) sits in full view at the centre displaying its bright black and yellow colouring for all to see. These female Wasp spiders are apparently known to eat the males on ocassion starting during mating - I wasn't sure whether this was just an apochryphal story.

NEW SPECIES - CLOUDED YELLOW

Having just decided that all the butterflies around were Tortoiseshells this stunning Clouded Yellow rested briefly in front of me. A new and perhaps surprising species for our meadows here in the Wye Valley. That makes 20 species for the site since we moved in.

Plague of Tortoiseshells

Perhaps plague is the wrong word but they are certainly dominating the butterfly scene at the moment. The large quantities of Tortoiseshell caterpillars on our nettles has turned into a large quantiy of adults. The buddleia bush outside the lounge is currently hosting about 20 adults.

Industrious swallows

Swallows have been flying in and out of the barn all summer - I am wondering whether this is a third brood they are raising or a second. There seem to be two youngsters only this time. They have reused the nest used in 2012 rather than the nest they used last year. They have of course ignored all three ceramic swallows' nests I have installed.