When I commence my weekly transect there is always a feeling of hope and anticipation about the species that might be seen. Having previously reviewed last years sightings and numbers plus reasonable weather conditions; 20 deg. C but a little cooler in the shade with some cloud cover being pushed along by a fairly brisk westerly wind; there was the prospect of a decent recording session.
Section 1 produced 5 different species starting with this Large Skipper (above) plus Speckled Wood (2), Meadow Brown (3), Ringlet (2) and White Admiral (6).
White Admiral (above) would eventually feature in 7 out of the 8 sections on the transect producing a total of 14 individuals seen and the highest count for any of the four years I have carried out this survey.
Flag Pond produced the usual Broad-bodied Chaser (above) and Large Red Damselfly (below) with Meadow Brown and Ringlet being the main flutters in this section.
Section 3 produced five species (previously recorded) but not an anticipated Silver-washed Fritillary, however a pair of White-legged Damselflies [male above and female below] put in an appearance.
Section 4, the largest open area of grassland that is slowly being swamped by bracken, produced one new species, a Small Skipper and a total of 25 Meadow Browns.
Meadow Browns eventually appeared in every section of the transect with a total of 44 individuals recorded.
So my initial anticipation was rewarded with 8 species logged including Large White and Green-veined White culminating in an overall total of 77 individual sightings; again the highest 'Week 12' for the past four years.
Linking to:
Beautiful pics.. Cheers..
ReplyDeleteThank you Ana.
DeleteHello, beautiful sightings. I especially love the Meadow Browns. Great captures of the dragonflies and skipper. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteLove all the pics, but that red damselfly really caught my eye.
ReplyDeleteSuch wonderful butterflies, skippers and dragonflies! I am hoping to attract the yellow swallowtails I occasionally see with the flowers that are just now beginning to bloom in my garden! Maybe, maybe I can get a few photos!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly sounds as though you have an interesting transect. For me last week, I had 22 Ringlets, 3 Speckled Woods, 3 Green-veined Whites and 2 Large Whites. Despite the fantastic weather I had no butterflies on my first four sections, so those were all in sections 5 to 8. I am hoping for more tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteNick. My transect includes ancient oak woodland, a small pond and some open grassy glades.
DeleteLooking forward to hearing how things turn out for you this week.
You are just out there finding wonderful wildlife Frank..I am hoping to catch some here in the yard soon...Michelle
ReplyDeleteYour Broad-bodied Chaser has a good deal of similarity to Common Whitetail here.
ReplyDelete