Sightings Various

It was a day of various sightings, small and large.  A Wall butterfly was seen near Plover's Pool.  These butterflies are not often recorded at Foxglove.  Although many seed heads were in the area where it was flying, it did manage to find a flower to feed from.

Speckled Wood butterflies were not seen in large numbers earlier in the year but they are making up for it now.  Every sunny glade has at least one defedning its territory.

Whilst watching for 'dragons and damsels' a Common Blue butterfly was seen, unfortunately it did not rest.  On checking its flight season it can be seen right through to October.

Something a little larger was one of the Dexter bullocks on the wetland.  There are three Dexter cattle in this area and as well as eating some of the vegetation, they are poaching some of the ponds.

Some fungi are beginning to show their fruiting bodies, especially from the log piles.

The flower/hay meadow was cut at the weekend as the forecast was for no rain and warm weather, for the next few days.  These are the conditions needed to dry the sward once it is cut.  Ian came in this afternoon as the heat had dried the drizzly rain from the hay.   Once the hay starts to dry, it needs to be worked to promote curing.  This is called tedding which fluffs up the cut hay and allows the air and sun to contact the undersurfaces to promote drying.  The hay will be bailed in the next few days - before the rain arrives!  Thank you Ian.