Today the CFBW Bird Group had its first butterfly and plant walk, led by Steve Gale and Paul Goodman. I came along to lend a hand and it was a great success, with 24 species of butterfly recorded and a specimen of the very rare Cut-leaved Germander being found. The undoubted highlight was the Clouded Yellow at Hither Field, most unexpected. This is the first known report of this species for the patch recording area and even better because it was of the washed-out form
helice. Nearby, a Painted Lady showed well and was only the second record of the year, following one yesterday. Three Silver-washed Fritillaries were seen, including one showing well at Fames Rough. Another star species, although not quite as obliging as the rest was a Purple Hairstreak by the pond while strong numbers of Chalkhill Blues were still on the east slopes.
Steve Gale showing participants how lovely moths can be
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| Clouded Yellow of form helice, the first known record for CFBW |
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| Silver-washed Fritillary, a low-level species in the recording area |
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| Painted Lady. Only the second sighting at the patch this year |
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| Chalkhill Blue. I took this photo a week or so ago but there were still plenty during the tour |
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| Brown Argus. It's not been a great year for these, though a couple have been on the patch in recent days |
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| Common Blue. Relatively scarce this year but numbers on the tour were optimistic following a recent new emergence |
Birds did get a look in, with a single
Crossbill flying over that most people managed to see. Steve also heard one calling on the other side of the road that marks the patch boundary, just before the walk began.
Here's the list of butterflies seen:
- Essex Skipper
- Small Skipper
- Large Skipper
- Clouded Yellow
- Brimstone
- Large White
- Small White
- Green-veined White
- Purple Hairstreak
- Brown Argus
- Common Blue
- Chalkhill Blue
- Holly Blue
- Red Admiral
- Painted Lady
- Peacock
- Comma
- Silver-washed Fritillary
- Speckled Wood
- Marbled White
- Gatekeeper
- Meadow Brown
- Small Heath
- Ringlet
