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

Friday 22 August 2014

Holme butterflies and galls

It was warm and sunny at Holme Dunes on Wednesday and so there were quite a few butterflies around. It was pleasing to see good numbers of fresh Small Heath along with Common Blue and Brown Argus. Wall are still present as are Speckled Wood and a few tatty Gatekeeper.  A Clouded Yellow flew past the VC.  As well as the good numbers of Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral on the Buddleja by the VC there was one Grayling there for most of the day, alternating between the flowers and the VC windowsill.
The Narrow-leaved Hawkweeds were flowering well in the dunes - some of the stems with swollen stem galls caused by the wasp Aulacidea hieracii.  One plant of Carline Thistle had a very distorted flower, possibly caused by an insect (unknown).


Grayling


Gall on Narrow-leaved Hawkweed caused by the wasp Aulacidea hieracii

Gall? on Carline Thistle

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