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Tag Archives: Brown-tail moth caterpillars

249/366 Small creatures after rain

05 Saturday Sep 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects

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Tags

beetles, British insects, Brown-tail moth caterpillars, Brown-tail moth webs, Buff-tailed bumblebee, Emperor dragonfly, Knopper gall

Actually, it rained before my walk, during my walk and after I got home, but ‘Small creatures between showers’ was a bit long for a title. Here, then, are the said creatures …

200905 beetles

First up, these beetles were cosying up in an umbellifer flower head. I couldn’t see enough to identify them and wasn’t going to disturb their comfort to find out more.

200905 brown tails

This is a web of Brown-tail moth larvae, the ones some people freak out about because their hairs can irritate the skin. The solution to that problem is, of course, easy: look, enjoy, wonder, admire, but don’t touch!

200905 buff-tail queen

There weren’t many flying critters about but bumblebees will fly whatever the weather, as shown by this gorgeous queen Buff-tailed bumble.

200905 knopper gall

Perhaps the littlest creature, though I didn’t look in to investigate, was the one that was lurking in this Knopper gall (spot the antennae!).

200905 emperor

And, the prize for the most magnificent, was this male Emperor dragonfly. I had to linger a while, waiting for him to settle, and then sneak up behind the bushes, but His Imperial Majesty was definitely worth the wait. What a handsome creature he is, despite his somewhat ragged wings.

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Seaford Head wildlife walk

21 Sunday May 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, coastal fauna, nature, plants, wildflowers

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Tags

Brown-tail moth caterpillars, Fulmar, Green-winged orchid, Rock pipit, Rook, Seaford Head Nature Reserve, Seaford Head wildlife walk, Stonechat, Sussex Wildlife Trust, Thrift

One of the highlights of my recent short break in Sussex was a guided wildlife walk around Seaford Head, organised by the Sussex Wildlife Trust and led by knowledgeable and amusing local naturalist Michael Blencowe.

170521 1 Seaford Head walk

The day was very windy and scattered showers kept us clad in rain jackets until lunchtime but that didn’t spoil the walk. The scenery on this coast is magnificent and it’s one of my favourite places in the whole of Britain so, even if we’d not seen any wildlife, I would’ve been happy. As it was, we saw more than I expected, and our guide was a mine of funny stories and fascinating facts.

170521 2 Seaford Head Hound's-tongue
170521 3 Seaford Head Stonechat
170521 4 Seaford Head Fulmar
170521 5 Seaford Head group
170521 6 Seaford Head Rock pipit
170521 7 Seaford Head Flower
170521 8 Seaford Head Brown-tail moth
170521 9 Seaford Head Green-winged orchid
170521 10 Seaford Head Rook

Our flora and fauna sightings included many different plants in flower, like Green alkanet, Hound’s-tongue and Thrift; plus several Stonechats and Linnets, and Rock pipits and Rooks aplenty. We had Fulmars soaring up from the cliffs to the left of us and Skylarks serenading us high in the sky to the right. A grass snake was discovered snoozing under a sheet of corrugated iron, the webs of Brown-tail moth caterpillars adorned the bramble bushes, and Green-winged orchids provided striking bursts of colour in the rough alongside the local golf course. If you ever get the chance, I’d highly recommend this walk.

170521 11 Seaford Head Thrift

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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