"For now we are young let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see" Neutral Milk Hotel.

Wednesday 2 July 2014

A few new ones

While doing some gardening I came across a chafer resting up on passion flower leaves. I believe it is a Summer Chafer Amphimallon solstitialis.
Lots of butterflies on the butterfly transect at Ringstead Downs today; many Meadow Browns and varying numbers of Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Small White, Brimstone, Comma, Common Blue and Small/Essex Skipper.
Last year I found a large area of Basil Thyme growing on the North bank. Looking today I found just one plant (Although there could be more). I also found a pale form plant of Large Thyme. There are lots of plants of Dwarf Thistle but I only found one in flower today.  There were also a good number of plants of Common Centaury in flower, a species not on the list of previously recorded plants for the reserve.
Out of patch I had an interesting weekend in the Peak District, finding a good number of plants growing on the limestone there as grow on the chalk at Ringstead. The dales around Tideswell are rich in flowers, but probably my most exciting find was a plant of Nottingham Catchfly growing on a limestone bank. I also found two plants of Little Robin which is like a diminutive form of Herb Robert. I don't think either of these species will be found on our patch.

Summer Chafer Amphimallon solstitialis
 
 
Basil Thyme at Ringstead Downs

Dwarf Thistle at Ringstead Downs

A Large Thyme with pale flowers at Ringstead Downs
 

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