Moths, Orchids & Nomads….

blog botany insects Moths Published May 26, 2012 at 21:12 1 Comment

The contents of the moth traps were sparser this morning; though an epic two Elephant Hawkmoths and a Heart & Dart (thanks Les) were great bonuses!

Elephant Hawkmoths

Heart and Dart

We had an early(ish) start; Peter arrived and we (Shannon and me included) made our way to the amazing reserve of Gait Barrows! One of the first things of interest we happened upon were some Nomad Bees; I am not sure of the exact species…it is an ongoing project!

Nomad Bee sp

Despite the amazing weather, there were very few numbers of butterfly on the wing. However we did note the following species: Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Brimstone, Common Blue, Orange-tip, Peacock, Large White and Small White! Day flying moths noted were Brown Silver-lines and what I am almost certain is Woodland Carpet!

Brown Silver-lines

The show of Lady’s Slipper Orchid was stunning; it is great to see this striking flower doing so well at this site.

Lady's Slipper Orchid

The distinctive Herb Paris was also putting on an impressive show.

Herb Paris

The birdlife was fairly quiet, though we did manage views of a Cuckoo as it flew overhead!

We spent the rest of the afternoon near Silverdale. Here we enjoyed views of a Water Shrew as it swam across a pond and great observations of Broad-bodied Chaser and Four-spotted Chaser.