Butterflies, Moths and an Escapee!

There are still many butterflies on the wing, this Brimstone was captured feeding in the wildflower meadow.

Here are the results from the butterfly transect:

Speckled Wood            37

Small Skipper                 1

Meadow Brown              3

Small White                     1

Green veined White        5 

Large White                    6

Painted Lady                 17

Red Admiral                   3

Peacock                        41

Common blue                  1

Holly Blue                        1

Brimstone                        3

Comma                            1

Wall                                 1

Total                            120

Visitors to the reserve today could do their bit for these beautiful insects by creating a butterfly feeder at the drop-in wildlife craft activity. This was a popular session with over twenty feeders being made to take away.

Thank you to Lesley for organising this event and to all of the families who took part.

Moths were trapped overnight in Robinson traps and volunteers carefully studied and identified them before releasing them back into the wild.

Some of the visiting children enjoyed helping with this task and watching the moths fly back into their habitats.

Elsewhere, volunteers were busy carrying out summer maintenance jobs such as painting signs.

Fences were repaired too where Lark and Taurus have been leaning over to try and reach the hedgerow!

The hammering of staples into one of the wooden posts disturbed this spider who suddenly appeared from a crack in the wood!

Finally, you guessed it, Lark made another bid for freedom by nipping through the gate to the hay meadow when the opportunity arose! He has realised that the grass is much greener on the other side. The hay meadow is due to be cut soon and then he will be allowed to graze there in order to 'tidy up the edges'!

He seemed to be full of mischief this afternoon!

Thank you to everyone who supported the reserve today and a special thank you to Peter for his help with some 'extreme strimming' to prepare the net rides for the Meadow Pipit ringing in a conservation area on the moors.