Dragons, Damsels, Moths and Butterflies at RSPB Minsmere

We spent a few hours at RSPB Minsmere over the weekend, where there were some wonderful dragonflies flying about in the sunshine. This is a female Black-tailed Skimmer, not a species I have often seen before.



It was a magnificent insect, as you can see. The adult male has a blue abdomen.

There were a number of Four-spotted Chasers on the brambles ...

... and on the reeds.

The one above is a female.

We encountered a couple of Cinnabar moths, one on the ground on the path to the sea and the other on the wing above the Adder Trail. Such lovely insects!

We also noticed this tiny Cinnabar larva on a stalk of Ragwort which, I guess, had failed to thrive (or could it be a moulted skin?).



I'm not entirely sure, but think this may be a Variable Damselfly. As ever, please feel free to correct me!

We stopped by the bridge on our way home as we have sometimes seen Demoiselles here. There did not appear to be any...



... but the Yellow Waterlilies were wonderful.

This was the view from Whin Hill, high (by Suffolk standards) above the Island Mere hide. The remains of the old BBC Springwatch cabin are just off the photo to the left. 

This was where we found the first Cinnabar moth.

We also saw a couple of tiny Small Heath butterflies ...

out in the sunshine.

We had been told by the staff on the desk that it was probably too warm for reptile sightings, but the insects seemed to be basking in the heat.

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It has been a busy week and I'm sorry it has taken so long to post these pics! Enjoy the weekend ...

Small Butterflies at Sutton Hoo (and a Holly Blue in the Garden)

There were a few butterflies fluttering about at Sutton Hoo, but not in the numbers we had hoped to see. We watched a couple of skittish Speckled Woods, but they didn't pause for the camera. However, Small Coppers always put on a good show despite their tiny size, and there were several about, some of them flying in pairs.  

There were no tours round the royal burial mounds, which surprised us on a sunny afternoon, but it was lovely to see the trees back in leaf and blossom. 

We had a good view of Woodbridge over the river Deben. You can see all the dandelion clocks in the foreground. 

The soil at Sutton Hoo is sandy, and this suits a butterfly that is even smaller, I believe, than the Small Copper, namely the Small Heath. We noticed a few of these exquisite creatures. In some ways the Small Heath resembles the Gatekeeper, but it is much smaller and has one white spot on each forewing instead of a pair. 

The Small Copper below looked rather ragged, but perhaps most of the 'marks' are grains of sand as I suspect the adult butterfly had only recently emerged. 

 It was a joy to hear and watch a couple of Skylarks.

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21 May 2018

Having enjoyed sightings of the Small Copper and Small Heath at NT Sutton Hoo, it was lovely to find a Holly Blue in our own garden - and one that actually stopped to perch for a few seconds.  

If you are in the UK, you might like to vote for your iconic insect on the BugLife site here. I was torn between two in the England list!

Big Butterfly Count ~ at Sutton Hoo

I undertook the Big Butterfly Count at Sutton Hoo over the weekend. You give yourself 15 minutes and chart the maximum number of a species you see at any one time.

The photos immediately above and below show a (male) Gatekeeper, aka the Hedge Brown. This is not a large butterfly. I always look for the two little white spots on the forewing!

Total: 3

The butterfly below, a Small Heath, was not surprisingly very small!  

Total: 6

 You can see how dry the heathland is at Sutton Hoo at present.

This next butterfly (below) is a slightly ragged male Meadow Brown. 

Total: 8

And finally ... this lovely little creature below is (I believe) a Small Skipper.

Total: 2