Death in the meadow

30 Saturday Apr 2022

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Sometimes I can be a bit slow. During today’s walk, I was ambling along the edge of a meadow when I spotted a male Orange-tip butterfly flitting from one small patch of Cuckoo flower to the next. Then it stopped at one spot longer than usual so I walked quickly over to get some photos. I could see its tongue was out so knew it was feeding but, still, I was amazed at how long it was staying put on the one flower. And then I saw why …

220430 orange tip and spider (1)

The poor butterfly had been grabbed by a lurking, very well camouflaged Crab spider.

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50 shades of brown

28 Thursday Apr 2022

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The latest butterfly species in my locale to flit up and say ‘Look at me’ is the Dingy skipper and, for all its supposedly dingy appearance, it’s a little cracker, a subtle blending of 50 shades of brown. And it seems to me that all the skipper species have attitude; they punch above their weight in terms of stroppiness, defending their territory with a tenacity that belies their diminutive size. Welcome back, little skippers!

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Small but large

27 Wednesday Apr 2022

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Our first odonata of the year are out and flying in the local landscape. I somehow missed seeing any Large red damselflies last year – I’m not sure how that happened – but I saw six in one day at the end of last week so I’ve well and truly made up for last year’s omission. I’m seeing reports of Large reds being spotted all around Britain, so I hope you’ve also managed to have your first odonata fix of the season.

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White-letter hairstreak larva

26 Tuesday Apr 2022

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In recent weeks I’ve been searching, unsuccessfully, for the eggs of Purple and White-letter hairstreak butterflies but … during Sunday’s woodland walk I did find this little beauty, my very first White-letter hairstreak larva. I was over the moon!

220426 white-letter hairstreak larva (1)

As you can see, its camouflage is excellent and I know I wouldn’t have spotted it if I hadn’t been looking so closely at the flower and leaf buds of this Wych elm. I couldn’t find any more larvae but I’ll return soon to this site for another look and, hopefully, will be able to re-find and observe this tiny creature as it grows.

220426 white-letter hairstreak larva (2)

Delicious Dandelions

24 Sunday Apr 2022

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I’ve said it before, I’ll probably say it again: Dandelions are an essential source of nectar and pollen for all kinds of insects, particularly those that emerge in early Spring when few other plants are in flower. So, on this International Dandelion Day, a plea to you all – PLEASE don’t cut, kill or otherwise damage your Dandelions!

Yellow meadow ants

23 Saturday Apr 2022

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Tiny piles of dirt have been catching my eye again, this time in the fields at Cosmeston. I wasn’t entirely sure about my identification of these but my records have now been confirmed. Meet Lasius flavus, the Yellow meadow ant.

220423 yellow meadow ants (1)

You may have it living in your garden, pushing up piles of soil in your lawn, very good for soil aeration. I can’t help but wonder whether these tiny beasties are the source of the saying ‘ants in your pants’, as I can imagine that if you happen to sit on one of their nests in a meadow, the annoyed ants might well infiltrate your underwear in order to move you along.

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