Butterfly and Flora walk on Roman Road, Saturday 14 July

Jennifer and Sally led a morning walk to observe the butterflies and flowers on the Roman Road (Little Abington section), starting at Worsted Lodge. There were 11 of us altogether.

This is the list of butterflies that we saw:

• Brimstone
• Large White
• Small White
• Green Veined White
• Meadow Brown
• Gatekeeper
• Ringlet
• Common Blue
• Small Skipper

(The majority were the large and small White which are very numerous everywhere this summer)


The plants we noted were:

• Parsnip
• Field Scabious
• Small Scabious
• Spear Thistle
• Curled Dock
• Dog Rose
• Dark Mullein
• Common Mallow
• Geranium
• Dead Nettle
• Common Ragwort
• Yarrow
• Knapweed
• Knapweed [rayed form]
• Great Knapweed
• Ladies bedstraw
• Hedge bedstraw
• St John's Wort
• Wild Carrot
• Field Bindweed
• Hedge Bindweed
• Mugwort
• Wild Mignonette
• Weld
• Black Horehound
• Herb Robert
• Lucerne
• Rough Chervil
• Restharrow
• Bladder Campion seed heads
• Rock Rose
• Goat's Beard seed heads

Wildlife, notably dragonflies, on Cambridge Road

Derek reports from his garden on the afternoon of 12 July:

Interesting sightings in the on the garden pond. First I saw a slightly bedraggled Whiteletter Hairstreak. Then a Southern Hawker, an Azure Damselfly and a Banded Demoiselle. I think this is only the second time we have seen a Banded Demoiselle in the garden.

Azure Damselfly

Banded Demoiselle

I also saw a Sparrowhawk make an unsuccessful appearance at our feeders.

Granta Park wildlife

Whilst out on a lunchtime walk in Sluice Woods on Granta Park this week, Andy M heard a persistent mewing from one of the big trees - and looking up saw an adult Kestrel with prey feeding a recently fledged youngster - close to a decaying branch that may have been the nest until very recently. The adult retired to a spot further along the branch, and shortly afterwards, the young also ventured out a little further along the same branch.

Adult Kestrel

Young Kestrel just outside the possible nestsite

Young Kestrel a little further along the branch

Alongside the lake, a number (maybe 10-20) skimmer dragonflies were living up to their name - skimming just above the water, as well as resting occasionally on the damp lake edge - like this Black-tailed Skimmer.  Note the yellow spots on the side of the abdomen, and golden-coloured 'costa' or front wing edge (thanks Darren!)

 Black-tailed Skimmer on the damp edge of the lake

In the woodland edges around the meadow near Sluice Wood, this female Banded Demoiselle was sitting prominently in the dappled sun.  (Thanks again to Darren for the id)

 Female Banded Demoiselle in trees around the Sluice Wood meadow

More 'bathroom' moths

Andy M found a few more interesting moths waiting in his bathroom this week - the very strikingly patterned Black Arches moth (Lymantria monacha), and the more subtle Riband Wave moth (or related Wave Idaea spp - they do all appear somewhat similar!)

Black Arches moth

 Black Arches moth

Idaea spp - possibly Riband Wave moth

Visit to RSPB Lakenheath Fen

Southern Hawker in Church Lane

Len took these photos of what (he thinks) is a Southern Hawker that was drying out on vegetation at the edge of their pond on the morning of 3 July. Rosemary watched it as it initially crawled out of the water and up the stem of a water forget-me-not.

Their garden is full of many different butterflies and bees with at least 4 large white, & 4 small tortoiseshell butterflies.

Birds and Bees and Butterflies

This weekend both the Blackbirds and the Robins nesting in our garden fledged, and the young ones spent much of the time hopefully following their parents around, expecting to be fed - Andy M.

Female Blackbird diligently gathering food for the fledged young

Hungry young Blackbirds

 Adult Robin on the lookout for food in the lawn below

  Young Robin

 Young Robin

There were very many honeybees and Bumblebees enjoying the lavender and other flowers, so I spent a little time photographing the various types - only to discovery that there were several Tree Bumblebees and Garden Bumblebees in amongst the more readily identified Red- and Buff-tailed Bumblebees.

 Red-tailed Bumblebee

 Red-tailed Bumblebee

 Red-tailed Bumblebee

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

 Garden Bumblebee - with two yellow bands in the centre of the body

 Garden Bumblebee

 Tree Bumblebee - with ginger thorax and white tail

Tree Bumblebee

 Tree Bumblebee

There were several butterflies around the garden too -

 Comma

 Comma

 Comma

 Brimstone

 Small White

Meadow Brown