Jacob's Laddder, Lathkill Dale, Derbyshire

Surprisingly only one new plant for me last year which was the stunning Jacob's Ladder, a very scarce native plant, but very often seen in gardens. It's certainly not difficult to see how it became a popular garden flower. I've been wanting to get to this location to see it growing in the wild for many years, it's such a scenic place. Seeing as we were on a family visit to our former home town of Burton upon Trent and hence only about a fifty minute drive away and it was also the optimum time of year to see it in flower, it was too good an opportunity to miss!

We went early in the morning and pleasingly had the place to ourselves, it really was quite idyllic with the plants putting on a stunning show. Even better than I'd imagined!

The Lovely Upper Lathkill Dale. Jacob's Ladder plants centre right.

 

Jacob's Ladder - Polemonium caeruleum 

 

And a nice bonus Chimney Sweeper Moth - Odezia atrata

New Year's Resolution

I'm back both birding and blogging. Let's see if I mean it this time! Actually, I really did mean it nearly two years ago but something came up, like it does and life got in the way. I don't think I'll get that much time in the field as I'm still suffering from a chronic illness so I have to try and pace myself. 

Anyway enough of that, don't want to sound like a moaning minnie.

Early on Boxing Day morning I dusted off the old bins and headed over to Colyford Common to see the Isabelline Wheatear, I was a few days late getting the news as I rely on seeing it posted on Twitter, which I haven't been looking at that much these days. I was hopeful it would still be around and I'm happy to say it was. I was just in the nick of time too because Boxing Day was to be be its last day! I'm so glad I went when I did!

Isabelline Wheatear was a lifer for me (not sure what number I'm up to, I need to find my list, I still have it somewhere). I'm pretty sure my last lifer was Great Spotted Cuckoo on Portland in May 2016!

Here's my photos.... it looked a bit cold!

August 2020: Dune Villa, Long-tailed Blue (I wish!) and Berry Catchfly.

Didn't get out much in August but three outings were memorable:

Dune Villa in Exmouth.

Dune Villa is a scarce Bee fly which is only found in large coastal dune systems. I knew that there were records from The Maer in Exmouth so drove over there for a look on 8th August, a very sunny but rather windy day. At first I thought it was just too windy and after about half an hour of searching I was about to give up.  Then just as I turned to head back to the car I spotted one! All I needed to do now was get close enough to get some photos, easier said than done! Got it the end though.

First I took one from a distance just in case I couldn't get closer. 

This is a female and she is collecting sand on the tip her abdomen where she carries an egg. The egg is covered with the sand and then carried away and flicked onto the ground. I don't think a lot is known about what species they parasitize, it's thought to be species of moth.

I watched this one flicking eggs into some low vegetation.

Dune Villa - Villa modesta

Long-tailed Blue Search:

Long-tailed Blue has become my bogie butterfly. In 2019 there were several seen at Axmouth and they were there for a couple of weeks, the only problem for me was that I was in Vietnam! The very first time the sun came out after my return I was down at Axmouth, but I was too late. Then last year one was spotted in the same place but I didn't find out until I saw a photo on Twitter. That was on the 16th, but the sighting was from the 12th and it had been seen a few days before that too. The next day I was back at Axmouth and very hopeful. It was warm, sunny and there were a few butterflies about. I saw:

Holly Blue. 

The right colour at least.

Silver-y Moth

 

Wood White.

It was worth the trip though because I had my first sighting of another species of Leaf-cutter Bee

Patchwork Leaf-cutter Bee - Megachile centuncularis

This is the nearest I got to seeing a Long-tailed Blue. It's an empty egg case and the newly emerged larvae which you may just be able to spot between the two sepals to the left of the egg. The adult female that had been seen had most likely died because she wasn't there. I was too late again!

I do still love this patch of Everlasting Pea.

 Even though it's always minus a Long-tailed blue.

Maybe one day...

Later in the month I drove over to Somerset to look for Berry Catchfly. Not a native plant but one which is naturalized in a few places in the UK. It's main stronghold was in Norfolk but it appears to have died out there. So this population in Somerset may be the last in the UK. It was a new species for me too!

 

 

Berry Catchfly - Cucubalus baccifer