It was a very hot, sunny afternoon on the Common and I decided to walk a circuit on the Cook's side of the Worcester Rd. It proved a successful walk as I recorded 14 Small Heath butterflies during the course of the circuit. 2 Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet moths were also of note.
Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet (Zygaena lonicerae)
Monday 19th June 2017:
The hot weather continues with temperatures this afternoon pushing 30°c. At Hillditch Pool there were 4 Emperor (3♂,1♀) and 1 ♂ Scarce Chaser dragonfly present. I was also treated to a rare photographic opportunity of a Red-eyed Damselfly that actually perched up on a stem instead of sitting on a usual lily pad.
Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas)
The meadow adjacent to the pool was very productive on the butterfly front with 2 Large Skipper, 2 Comma, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 7 Ringlet and 21 Meadow Brown noted. A rather stunning Brimstone Moth was also observed.
Comma (Polygonia c-album)
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
Wednesday 21st June 2017:
The hot spell of weather continued with the temperature again up at 30°c. I decided to prioritize today's visit on the Cook's side of the Common where there are some quite substantial areas of Lady's Bedstraw flowering and also a number of Common Knapweed plants in bloom. It proved to be a wise decision as in this area there were 3 Marbled White butterflies on the wing. This especially pleasing as not many records of this species have come from this side of the Common before.
♂ Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)
Other Lepidoptera (butterflies & moths) recorded during the visit included 8 Small Heath, 1 Large Skipper, 1 Comma, 8 Cinnabar plus the ubiquitous Ringlets and Meadow Browns.
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