With the lapwings now fledged off and long gone from site, it's that time of year when my attention turns more to insects. It's been fabulous to see so many butterflies on site in the last couple of weeks. The site has been full of meadow brown, gatekeeper, small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies - look out for them on any flower heads on the field edges as you walk up to the viewing platform. It is particularly pleasing to see good numbers of small tortoiseshells (Aglais urticae to be scientific) - now out in their second generation for the year, the species has suffered a large decline in recent years. One theory suggests that the increased presence of a parasitic fly has caused this decline - the larvae of the fly attacking the larvae of the butterflies.
Whilst working in one of the fields on Wednesday, I noted some of our more nocturnal Lepidopteran inhabitants too - two moth species including large yellow underwing and common wainscot.
Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) seem to have been rather scarce so far this year on site. Common blue and azure damselflies made an appearance earlier on in the season, but on Wednesday this week, I was pleased to see an emperor dragonfly near the viewing platform. The emperor dragonfly, or Anax imperator to be scientific, is the UK's largest species and at around 85mm in length, it is an impressive beast. The males are a stunning bright blue and black, whilst females are equally good looking, being bright green and black, but interestingly the female's green colouration can turn blue in warm weather. They are a very active species, rarely to be seen at rest, especially on hotter days, Characteristically, they fly with the rear end of their abdomen bent downwards - a good clue to the species ID at a distance!
The site's ditches are improving all the time, with excellent assemblages of aquatic flora and plenty of water in many of them - ideal conditions for Odonata, so keep an eye open in warmer days over the next few weeks for species such as brown hawker, migrant hawker, southern hawker and common darter.
Small tortoiseshell. Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com)