Friday 11 July 2014

Gatekeepers rule and a Black Adder slithers away

male Chalkhill Blue, Lysandra coridon
On Wednesday I found Mill Hill covered with Gatekeepers, many of which were flying across the grassland, perhaps a sign that the population is high as they normally stay round the hedgerows. The Chalkhill Blues are starting to build. Transect results: Chalkhill Blue 5 (including one female), Gatekeeper 30, Green-veined White 2, Marbled White 23, Meadow Brown 10, Peacock 1, Small Skipper 2 and Small Tortoiseshell larvae. I also found several moths:  Brown Plume, Cinnabar larvae, Common Purple and Gold, Straw-barred Pearl, Wavy-barred Sable and Yellow-spot Twist. A big fat black adder slithered into the underbrush as I walked along the bottom of the hill.
female Chalkhill Blue, Lysandra coridon
Brown Plume, Stenoptilia pterodactyla
Brown Plume, Stenoptilia pterodactyla
Cinnabar larvae, Tyria jacobaeae
Cinnabar larvae, Tyria jacobaeae
Common Purple and Gold, Pyrausta purpuralis
Garden Grass-veneer, Chrysoteuchia culmella
Gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus
Gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus


Peacock, Inachis io
Perforate St John's Wort, Hypericum perforatum
female Small Skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris
female Small Skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris
Small Skipper showing brown underside of tip of antenna
which distinguishes it from the black tip of the Essex Skipper
Small Tortoiseshell larvae, Aglais urticae
Small Tortoiseshell larvae, Aglais urticae
Straw-barred Pearl, Pyrausta despicata
Wavy-barred Sable, Pyrausta nigrata
Wild Thyme, Thymus serpyllum
Adder, Vipera berus

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