In an attempt to beat the sun’s hot rays, I paid an early morning visit to the reserve. There were plenty of butterflies were on the wing, especially on the Wild Marjoram and Scabious now flowering on the butterfly bank. The following species were seen: Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Peacock, Red Admiral, Green-veined White, Large White, Small White, Comma, Large Skipper, Small Skipper and Small Copper. I thought I caught a glimpse of a Purple Hairstreak in the canopy of the Oak across the brook. These butterflies spend most their time in the tops of trees so are hard to observe. However, early morning is a good time to see them nectaring on flowers and I was lucky to spot one on a Bramble patch.
There were a number of dayflying moths around, including Shaded Broad-bar, Mother of Pearl, Udea lutealis, Dingy Shell and Latticed Heath. There were also some Cinnabar caterpillars on some Ragwort.
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- Purple Hairstreak
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- Latticed Heath
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- Cinnabar caterpillar
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- Dingy Shell
