Spring 2009 Then, with a Buzzard calling over the wood we returned to the cars for lunch and the drive to Devil’s Dyke.
ridge of Devil’s Dyke was not the place to be, but on the leeward lower slope mostly females, with just a few males, clung tightly to nectar plants and grass stems. Here the chalky soil produced flowering Felwort, Yellow-wort, Carline Thistle and Scabious, but it was the Knotweed that enticed the most butterflies.
A heavy shower swept across Newmarket Heath, but we were determined to find our quarry, and Sharon Hearle, our BC Regional Officer and Devil’s Dyke transect walker, guided us to the likely places for Chalkhill Blue. This has been a bumper season for the species, huge numbers being seen in early August, and although we were now at the end of the flying season we were not disappointed. The exposed
Then, as the next squall hurtled in we sought cover and an opportunity to reflect on a successful day.
South of the Border 2. The Murs of Rocabruna. James Mann continues his perambulations in the south of France
The lack of butterflies in 2008 is very widespread. In England it seems to have been caused by the wet weather and lack of sunshine. Here in the south of France our very dry winter and spring has retarded the growth of food plants for the caterpillars and the overcast weather at the start of the summer has resulted in the first ever water restrictions in the Pyrénées Orientals and has resulted in our usual feast of wild fruits being severely desiccated.
the valley it was pleasantly cool for the climb but directly we reached the Col at 1131 metres and the Spanish border, the sun warmed us up and we basked in it whilst having our coffee and cake among the grazing cows. Today, instead of turning left to descend to Beget we turned right across the flowering grassland to traverse the other side of the valley to Col Boca Bartella. Flitting among the flowers were many Grizzled and Dingy Skippers together with several Silverspotted Skippers and at the end of the grassland we found a solitary Small Skipper. As we started down the slowly descending rocky path we spotted both Grayling and Great Banded Grayling. What at first appeared to be ‘whites’ turned out to be female Cleopatras, reinforced by the bright yellow males. The other ‘whites’ we
On Monday 8th September 2008 as we approached Lamenére I thought back to 6th October 2003 when we had been here and it resulted in ‘South of the Border’ Suffolk Argus. Volume 35 Summer 2005. Although we were only four weeks earlier in the year the temperature was much higher. We took the path up through the forest to Col de Malrems. As the sun had not yet reached
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