Deep Purple

With the sun putting in a welcome appearance I decided to head out after work and so took a short stroll over to Willowbrook Industrial Estate where I checked the open area next to Cockerell Road. Although butterfly numbers have yet to recover there was quite a good variety of species and also a few other interesting things to have a squint at.


Male Common Blue Damselfly.

 

Male Common Blue butterfly.

A Buzzard doing a low flypast of the area attracted the attention of two Peregrines and they swooped and screamed at it until the unwelcome interloper had moved on. A male Kestrel was content to sit on a large light while a Heron passed over on its way to the nearby ponds at Stephenson's Way.

Aphid's eye view of a Red Admiral.


 

Peacock.

It was probably from these ponds that the few dragonflies present came and they included Brown and Southern Hawker which were hunting along the line of bushes on the edge of the site. A few Common Darters and some Common Blue damsels completed the list of species seen.

The few Marbled Whites were looking a little worn.

Many of the butterflies seen today were choosing to feed on purple flowers with both knapweeds and buddleia proving popular, the latter particularly with the larger species. One of the species that did not appear to be feeding at all were the many male Common Blues zipping about, I didn't see any females. A Brown Argus showed briefly but did not settle while the two Essex Skippers seen were happy to pose. Numbers of Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper remain healthy but Ringlets appear to be decreasing somewhat and only two Marbled Whites were found with both of them looking a little the worse for wear.

Painted Lady.


 

Essex Skipper. The orange skippers always hold their wings in this unique fashion, the black antennae tips separate this species from Small.

The larger species included several Peacocks and Red Admirals and one each of Painted Lady and Small Torty. You may notice that I do more repeats of pictures than the BBC does its programmes but if I take what I think is a good 'un then it goes on. Small, Green-veined and Large White seemed drawn to knapweeds which also attracted lots of Burnet moths.

Another picture of Six-spotted Burnet, a fairly common species at this time of year.