small copper on ragwort by DKG
small copper on meadow buttercup leaf
Peacock butterfly – progress report
Remember the peacock caterpillars that Ian found in the nettle beds between Simpson’s Field and the Arboretum?
A closer look at insects
On Wednesday, DKG and his macro lens took a close look at some of the park’s invertebrate inhabitants.
Click on any picture to enlarge it.
Garden bumblebee on spear plume thistle
Large white butterfly on spear plume thistle
Small skipper on creeping thistle
Segestria senocata – Snake-Back Spider.
Small skipper and greater bindweed
Thanks to the farmer
Our grateful thanks go to the park’s tenant farmer. He has done us proud.
Butterfly count 21.6.18
On 21st of June, Hugh, Ian and Sarah G walked a regular transect through the park in order to survey the butterfly numbers.
Meadow browns
A message from Ian B on Tuesday of last week:
“Had a walk around the park this afternoon and did a bit of a butterfly transect. The park is looking good. I saw 3 speckled woods, 7 small skippers and 43 meadow browns – the latter were in perfect condition as though they had just hatched – the majority of the meadow browns were in Village Green.”
Peacock caterpillars
Ian found and photographed this nest of peacock butterfly caterpillars on Tuesday.
Drinker moth caterpillar
This is the caterpillar of the drinker moth (Euthrix potatoria) so called because the caterpillar is believed to drink drops of dew on grass stems.
Small Tortoiseshell Caterpillars
From Ian B:
“I photographed this small tortoiseshell nest this morning in Simpsons Field; there is a nettle bed on the right, about half way up the hard path from the entrance.”
small tortoiseshell larvae on nettles
small tortoiseshell larvae on nettles
