Wet and Windy...

So, another day off - and yet more rain !

Unsuprisingly, King's Wood, Heath & Reach, didn't produce the excitement of a week ago, so I was grateful that something photogenic came by in the form of a Southern Hawker.

A Purple Patch

After a week of swanning around the Bedfordshire countryside it was back to work today - but not before one more visit to King's Wood, Heath & Reach.

There, amazingly, I found two Silver-washed Fritillary and Purple Emperor in the same area - both new for me ! A very satisfying end to the break.

A White-letter Day 30/07/08

A long, leisurly walk around Chicklands Wood this morning taking advantage of some hot sunshine and a chance to photograph the many insects on show.

The Canon 100-400mm zoom lens is not a dedicated macro lens, but reasonable images can still be had. The zoom allows you to stand off and thus not disturb your target. However, extraneous foliage often gets in the way as there is more 'stuff' to look through.


There were three White-letter Hairstreak on and around some bramble.



A new Longhorn beetle for me actually landed on my neck ! Stenocorus meridianus has been known to nip !



There were over thirty Peacock Inachis Io most in pristine condition. One or two were very obliging.



I only saw one Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni today - looking quite immaculate but, as ever, posing with wings closed.



A moth which can be diurnal is the Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa fuliginosa It has two generations in the south and thinly scaled wings which is just noticable on this poorly focused image.

Sandhouse Lane NR

A single Brown Argus and a few Common Blue brightened up the afternoon !







Six-spot Burnet Zygaena filipendulae



A Small/Essex Skipper



A male Gatekeeper



A single Ruddy Darter by the main pool.

Bison Hill Beauties

A warm day at this great site. Just a few chalkhill Blue on the wing, and some pristine Brimstone too.

Gatekeeper



Brimstone



Chalkhill Blue





Marbled White



This leviathon hoverfly Volucella zonaria is up to 20mm in length. It is a Hornet mimic whose larvae scavenge in wasp nests !



Cinnabar moth larvae feeding on Ragwort. This moth has been introduced to some countries in an attempt to control Ragwort because of its voracious appetite for this plant.

Sharpenhoe Clappers

Dark Green Fritillary





Marbled White



Meadow Brown





Small Skipper



Comma



Large White

King's Wood, Heath & Reach

Common Spotted Orchid - Dactylorhiza fuchsii


The Sawfly Tenthredo mesomelas


Common Lizard - Lacerta vivipara





A Soldier beetle probably - Cantharis rustica


Cardinal beetle - Pyrochroa serraticornis


(thanks to Keith Balmer for help with ID of the last two beetles)

This male longhorn moth Nemophora degeerella was found at Stockgrove Country Park. It's quite common, and the anntenae were too long to fit in the image !



Marbled White Spot - Protodeltote pygarga


Ragged Robin - Lynchnis flos-cuculi