Saturday 10th May

Despite the ever-strengthening wind and some heavy, if short-lived downpours, today was pretty productive. Birds were admittedly rather thin on the ground though, but a Cuckoo was calling in the forestry and about 20 Turnstones on the Green at Hunstanton were in stunning summer plumage. The NOA traps held some excellent moths with my first Knotgrass, Brimstone, Buff-tip, Small Elephant Hawk, Garden Pebble and Garden Carpet of the year. A surprising number of butterflies braved the wind, with numerous Green Hairstreak and Small Copper on the wing, my first Common Blue and Small Heaths of the year and Brown Argus, Comma, Wall, Green-veinded White, Peacock and Orange Tip adding to the colour.

Plants new in flower for me today included Silverweed, Gromwell, Eyebright, Yellow Iris, Star of Bethlehem (in the woods in the Downs) and Birdsfoot Trefoil. Large numbers of Green Lonhorns moths adorned the brambles in the forestry and I got great views, but sadly no photographs, of a Mother Shipton in the dunes. 

Other invertebrates on the wing included numerous Scorpion Flies and several Large Red Damselflies.

Knotgrass, Holme NOA, 10th May 2014

Buff-tip, Holme NOA, 10th May 2014

Small Elephant Hawk, Holme NOA, 10th May 2014

Yellow Iris,  Holme NOA, 10th May 2014

Green Hairstreak,  Holme NOA, 10th May 2014

Brown Argus,  Holme NOA, 10th May 2014

Thyme-leaved Sandwort, Holme NWT, 10th May 2014

Silverweed, Ringstead Downs, 10th May 2014

Star of Bethlehem, Ringstead Downs, 10th May 2014

Eyebright, Ringstead Downs, 10th May 2014

Mother Shipton, Holme NWT, 18th June 2012