A Red Admiral was only my fourth anywhere locally this year. Other species around :- Small Skipper, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown.
Managed about 90 minutes between showers around John Street football field & Eagley Brook. Even on a dodgy day there are butterflies everywhere. It seems a long time since that happened.
72 Small Skippers 2 Large Skippers 24 Large Whites (Half a dozen anywhere locally was good until this year. They are outnumbering Green-veined Whites, my commonest whites normally) 3 Small Whites 19 Green-veined Whites 1 Small Copper 15 Small Tortoiseshells 1 Comma 1 Speckled Wood 27 Gatekeepers 25 Meadow Browns
The scrubland/meadow behind Last Drop Village was full of butterflies this morning.
1 Dark Green Fritillary. My first away from the Sefton Coast. With Chris' sighting of one in Piethorne Valley as well maybe there are more to be found wandering around the county. 1 Comma. My first this year, followed by one in my garden this afternoon. 1 Small Copper 85 Small Skippers, finally taking over from the Large Skippers which had been everywhere up to last week 3 Large Skippers 17 Large Whites 2 Small Whites 5 Green-veined Whites 69 Small Tortoiseshells 70+ Meadow Browns 12 Gatekeepers 1 Silver Y, 2 Shaded Broad-bars, Straw Dots, dozens of Udea lutealis. Lots of Cinnabar caterpillars.
My garden moths over the last few days have included :- Swallow-tailed moth, Bee Moth, Dot Moth, Antler Moth, Mottled Beauty, Blastobasis adustella, Lozotaenia forsterana, Eudonia truncicolella, Brown House-moth, White-shouldered House-moth.
A good hour's mooch behind Last Drop this morning. Large Skippers, Small Skippers, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers. Moths included the following species :- Nettle-tap, Celypha lacunana, Udea lutealis, Crambus perlella, Straw Dot, Silver-ground Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, Latticed Heath, Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet. Brown Hawker & Common Hawker dragonflies.
Double-striped Pug at home last night (I think it may be the first Pug I have been able to id myself without sending a photo to the county recorder)
A Southern Hawker as I passed the meadow behind Last Drop Village made a good start to the day.
Last night I had a Dark Sword-grass at home, using an old recommended method of leaving my box room window open with an inside light on. Saves buying a moth trap !
Yesterday afternoon I almost mowed over a Large Yellow Underwing.
Other garden moths over the last week include :-
Brown House Moths every day
Gypsonoma sociana
Mompha epilobiella
Lozotaenia forsterana
Light Brown Apple Moth
Small Magpie
Light Arches
Snout
Silver-ground Carpet
Riband Wave
Fan-foot
Meadow area between Last Drop Village & Turton Golf Course.
Lots of Bramble, Nettles & Thistles makes this an excellent small undisturbed area for insects. Also saw Meadow Vetchling, Bush Vetch, Common Vetch, Common Spotted Orchid, Southern Marsh Orchid, Lady's Mantle, Broad-leaved Dock, Ragwort not quite in flower, Meadow Buttercup, Creeping Buttercup, Red Clover, White Clover.
32 Large Skippers, 2 Meadow Browns. Lots of Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars.
20 Silver-ground Carpets (it would be nice to see a different type of carpet moth), 9 Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnets, 2 Clouded Borders, 1 Silver Y, 1 Snout.
Agriphila tristella, Celypha lacunana, Crambus lathoniellus, Grapholita lunulana, Elachista argentella.
Whilst mooching with the dog at lunchtime I came across Scarlet Elfcup in the wood below the kids park by Little Brow. At the same time a Rabbit ran past.
