Northwest Norfolk Naturalists

Tuesday, 7 August 2018

An insect miscellany

A few insects encountered recently.

A dead digger wasp, possibly Ectemnius cephalotes, found on my kitchen windowsill.

Male Ruddy Darter at Holme Dunes

Female Ruddy Darter at Holme Dunes

Banded Burdock Fly at Ringstead Downs

Bees love the globe thistles in my garden. An Early Bumble-bee and a Buff-tailed Bumble-bee are sharing this flower.

I am attempting to ID moths as I come across them, often in my house or garden. Please correct me if I've got these wrong.

Light Brown Apple Moth (apparently an immigrant from Australia). (In my kitchen.)

Double-striped Pug in my study window. (Thanks to Gary for ID)

Hummingbird Hawkmoth resting up on the dunes at Holme..

A pair of moths in Hide 1 at Holme Dunes. Copper Underwing or Svensson's Copper Underwing ?

More butterflies

Following on from Andy's amazing early morning at Ringstead Downs I was staggered to have a White-letter Hairstreak land on a buddleia flower next to where I was working in my garden in Hunstanton on 1st August. Unfortunately no camera or phone to hand before it flew off. Also one sighting of a Silver-washed Fritillary in Zone 6 of the Downs butterfly transect on 2nd August - but not able to take a photo. On the transect today (7th Aug) I had 4 records of a Silver-washed Fritillary in 3 different zones. There were at least 2 individuals as one was extremely tatty (the only one I managed to get a photo of!)

Silver-washed Fritillary (very tatty!)

Also on the 2nd Aug I had a Dark green fritillary on the butterfly transect at Holme Dunes.

Dark Green Fritillary

Butterflies have clearly enjoyed the hot weather. There have been many more Common Blues at both Ringstead and Holme, but as last year no appearance of Chalkhill Blues.

Common Blues in Hunstanton Community Orchard

Small Copper in Hunstanton Community Orchard

Red Admiral in Hunstanton Community Orchard

Thursday, 26 July 2018

An unexpected early morning butterfly bonanza in the Downs

White-letter Hairstreak, Ringstead Downs, 26th July 2018

Painted Lady, Ringstead Downs, 26th July 2018

Silver-washed Fritillary, Ringstead Downs, 26th July 2018

This morning I made what I anticipated would be a quick 7 am visit to the downs to try to find a Purple Hairstreak. I found one, taking moisture and/or minerals from the ground along the main path but it flew off too quickly to be photographed. Much to my surprise I went on to find about 10 White-letter Hairstreaks behaving in the same way (the first on patch for me - and I don't think anyone else has seem them here for decades), a very smart, fresh, Painted Lady, the first of the late generation of Wall, flying with Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and a few Ringlets and, amazingly, at least three Silver-washed Fritillaries - as far as I'm aware, the first for Ringstead Downs and only the second record for the patch after Robert found a tatty individual on the buudleja at the NOA a couple of years ago. Whatever next ?