Monday 3 June 2019

A Bit of a Mouthful

Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoth

A day in deepest Lincolnshire.  This morning as a sunny morning was forecast I checked up on the location of the forthcoming Butterfly special.  The drive took about 1hr 15 mins from the Humber Bridge, but it was a better way without having to go through Market Rasen itself.  
Wings a blur

We arrived about 10.35, and almost immediately I spotted 2 large hovering insects around the Red Valerian near the gardens.  They were reminiscent of the Hummingbird hawk moths usually seen with us in late Summer early Autumn.  However, if anything these are even more attractive.  I kept looking at different flowers, and saw at least 4 individuals.  Their name is a bit of a mouth full.  These were my first ever Broad Bordered Bee Hawk Moths.  Perhaps the scientific name is easier to handle?  Hemaris fuciformis - not sure?
Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoth
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We went to the glade where we saw all the beautiful butterflies last summer, but we were a month earlier this time, and there was absolutely nothing there.  We decided to trek to five-ways.  We saw an Orange-Tip on the journey.  There were some hawkbits near the seat, and a faded Marsh Fritillary nectaring there with a couple of others chasing each other over the path.  It seems we were too early for the Silver-Washed Fritillaries, Purple Emperors and White Admirals.  However, we did see a different species of dancing micro longhorn moth - a few weeks ago they were green, but these were golden.  
 Longhorn Micro Moth - Nemophora fasciella
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On the walk through the woodland in sunlight areas of brambles we began to see more and more Marsh Fritillaries.  Most of these were very worn, but there were a few individuals which were very smart, and may have only recently emerged.
Holly Blue
Marsh Fritillary
 Many Marsh Fritillaries
 Marsh Fritillary
 Underside on Ragged Robin
 Underside on Buttercup
 Upperside on Cow Parsley
 Upperside on Buttercup
 Upperside on Cow Parsley
 Many Marsh Fritillaries

 Unidentified Daytime Micro Moth

After lunch we went to the grassland areas and found more Marsh Fritillaries in the sunlight sheltered areas on the journey.  The meadows themselves were exposed to the winds, so although the Fritillaries were there, they weren’t in the same numbers as of three weeks ago.  The highlight in this area was a Greater Butterfly Orchid, which I’ve only ever seen near the Malvern Hills before.  The spiders have been busy on it!
Greater Butterfly Orchid


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