We are certainly enjoying this nice weather here at Langford and so is the wildlife! I went out on Tuesday to conduct the third butterfly transect of 2011 and what a stark contrast to last week’s, which was dull and grey! With 21°C, minimal cloud cover and only a gentle breeze, it was ideal conditions for insects of all kinds. And the first butterfly I came across, only 5 yards into the transect route was a smart little holly blue - the first of the year. They fly in two generations each summer – the first from April until June and then again in July and August. As their name suggests, the caterpillars feed on holly, but only in the first generation. Individuals of the second generation mainly feed on ivy!
Other butterfly species recorded were green-veined and small white, brimstone, small tortoiseshell, speckled wood, orange-tip, peacock and comma.
And I even had my first day-flying moths of the year on Tuesday, on the public footpath near the woodland. They are called Adela reaumurella (sorry no English name for this species!) and belong to a group of moths known as the longhorn moths. And this is for a good reason as the white coloured antennae of the males are up to two times the length of the insect itself! In females they are up to 1.5 times the length of the insect. The wings are metallic green and often you will see a group of up to 20 of them swarming together around vegetation. Stunning to watch!
Also this week - look for the little black flies that fly around with their legs dangling below them. They are St. Mark's flies, or Bibio marci, to be technical. At about 10mm long, they are so named as they are thought to traditionally emerge on St. Mark's day on 25th April - a bit early this year!
And finally some bird news from Tuesday – regular sightings of a male cuckoo on Phase 1, a nice female sparrowhawk flew over Phase 1 towards the public footpath and the first house martin and common terns of the year.