Sunday 7th and Monday 8th May

Sunday 7th May 2017:

This afternoon I spent some time checking around the Rush Pool and The Bog for dragonflies.  It seemed as though I was going to be out of luck until a teneral 4-spotted Chaser flew past and landed on some vegetation near the edge of The Bog.  Sadly it flew off over the Bog before I could get any record shots but I did see it long enough to confirm the id with my binos.  

Whilst walking around the Rush Pool I flushed a couple of Brown Silver-line moths from the surrounding bracken.  

A single Green Hairstreak was recorded on the other side of the Worcester Road on the stretch of common next to Cooks.  This is an area of the Common where few (if any) records of this species have been recorded.

Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)

Brown Silver-line (Petrophora chlorosata)

Monday 8th May 2017:

Today's weather was hot and sunny so I undertook a walk around to look for Green Hairstreaks.  In total I recorded 9 Green Hairstreak in total at 5 separate locations (2 of which were on the Cooks Garden centre side of the Common). 

Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)

From the Common I headed over to Hillditch Pool where I recorded my first Azure Damselfly of the year in the form of a single immature blue form female. 

Also of note at Hillditch were mating Cantharis rustica Soldier Beetles.

Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) - ♀ Blue Form

Soldier Beetles (Cantharis rustica)