Butterflies of the Great Orme

31 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by theresagreen in Butterflies of Wales, coastal habitat, Great Orme, Nature of Wales, North Wales Wildlife Trust, Wildflowers of Wales, Wildlife of the Wales Coast Path, y Gogarth

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Cinnabar moth, Conservation issues, crickets, dark green fritillary, grayling, Grayling (ssp. Thyone), hipparchia semele ssp.Thyone, Plejebus argus ssp. Caernensis, Red Admiral, Silver-studded Blue, Silver-studded Blue (spp.caernensis), small tortoiseshell, y Gogarth

July 14th – Great Orme

The great bulk of the west face of the Great Orme rises steeply from the shore of the Irish Sea; its scarred and fissured face testament to centuries of the relentless onslaught of invading weather fronts. Glancing upwards from its base it looks intimidating, barren save for a few patches of eroded grass and seemingly hostile as habitat for anything save the odd nimble Kashmiri goat. However, as in the best tradition of myths, legends and fairystories, looks can be deceptive and here-upon, not too far away, lies a magical kingdom populated by tiny beautiful creatures.

160714-Gt Orme 3-West Beach-Cliff face & toll house

The toll house on Marine Drive marks the beginning (or end) of the cliff path

The creatures take the form of butterflies. Two diverse species have evolved and adapted themselves to survival in this unlikely place and have been recognised and classified as ‘sub-species’. One is a variant of the rare Silver-studded Blue, classified as Plejebus argus ssp. Caernensis and the other a variant of Hipparchia semele (Grayling), classified as (ssp.Thyone). Both are ‘dwarf races’ and considered to be endemic to the site.

The ‘butterfly kingdom’ spills into the Great Orme or y Gogarth Reserve owned and managed by the North Wales Wildlife Trust, which has no paths, but there is a narrow stony path along a ledge cut about a third of the way up the cliff, which is indicated on the photograph above as a line of wire netting that both marks its edge and keeps people safe and goats in. I walked alongside the West Shore from the town end and joined the path at the back of the Toll House, but if you are coming down from the other direction, the other end of the track is waymarked to your left. A word of caution – this is a very narrow, unevenly surfaced track, so take care.

The day was sunny but windy, conditions which bring out the butterflies but often keeps them low to the ground or amongst long grass stems. I wasn’t expecting to start seeing the little Silver-studded Blues as easily as I did, but there on a patch of red valerian below the ‘dangerous cliffs’ sign I spotted my first ones. Most were looking rather worn and a bit tatty, but I was happy to see them at all.

First sight of a worn and battered female

Mating pair attracted others

As I watched I spotted a pair coupled together who were then joined by two others with another fresher-looking male also heading their way. Unlike their cousins, the Common Blues, these smaller butterflies don’t zoom away at speed just as you’re about to press the shutter button, but flutter gently from place to place, tending not to fly any distance away. They seem to bask quite frequently.

Silver-studded Blue male

Silver-studded Blue female

The uppersides of males are a glorious vivid blue with a dark border. Females’ uppersides are browner with a row of orange spots; in this sub-species they also have a variable flush of blue that extends over the hindwings and the base of the forewings. The Silver-studded Blue takes its name from the light blue reflective scales found on the underside of most adults and which are quite visible when light reflects off them in fresh butterflies, but they wear off quite quickly as the butterfly ages and can be quite difficult to see. In the main, the undersides are a brownish-grey with black spots, a row of orange spots, and small greenish flecks on the outer margin. Males are similar to the Common Blue, which lacks greenish spots.

160714-GO-Silver studded blue underside (s) 3

Weathered male mating with a fresher female

The Silver-studded Blue is a Priority Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species.

Generally they are found in close-knit colonies, most containing less than a thousand adults. Here on the Orme numbers fluctuate over the season, but may rise to a peak of a thousand or more. Today I met a warden and an assistant on the path that were assessing current numbers – in one spot alone they had counted 130 individuals, so despite the recent inclement weather, they appear to be doing OK.

The number of Graylings I saw also took me by surprise; in other locations I’ve been more than happy to come across the occasional one; along this path I encountered a good few patrolling the path. I’m hesitant to give a number as I have no idea how many times I might have seen the same one as it circumnavigated a territory. It could well be that the same one or two were circling me!

Hipparchia semele ssp. Thyone (Thompson, 1944)

H. semele ssp. Thyone flies earlier than is usual with other races of Grayling, being on the wing towards the third week in June, and disappearing by the end of July.

I am not practised enough to be able to recognise subtle differences between species & sub-species of butterflies and have no desire to catch any to compare them, so I have taken points from Mr Thompson’s comparisons:

Hipparchia semele ssp. Thyone

♂ Strikingly smaller than any other British race of semele. Coloration is more uniform than in typical semele, with the pale areas more ochreous. Forewing spots are smaller than in other races, with the lower of the two frequently absent. Underside coloration duller and less contrasting than in the type, with the white areas of hindwings tinged with ochre. ♀ Also smaller than other races. Spots are smaller than in normal specimens.

The special butterflies were not alone here. In a small sheltered quarried out area at the side of the track more red valerian was attracting some larger visitors. I was most thrilled to see a Small Tortoishell, only the second I’ve seen this year and the first to stay put long enough to photograph.

There was a Red Admiral there too, a few Meadow Browns and a single Dark Green Fritillary that was repeatedly chased away by Graylings.

Small Tortoishell

Red Admiral

Dark Green Fritillary-Argynnis aglaja

Grayling

Cinnabar Moth

Another first sighting for this year was a Cinnabar Moth. I was musing just the other day about why I rarely see the adult moths when the distinctive yellow and black caterpillars are so numerous at this time of year; perhaps they don’t over-winter well? It was tricky to get even this less-than-brilliant image as it was fighting against the wind trying to stay on the cliff edge.

Jackdaw

Wildflowers of the day:

Dewberry

Silver-studded Blue (f) on dewberry flower

Centaury

Restharrow

Bloody Cranesbill

Pyramidal Orchid

Other insects

Common Green Grasshopper

Speckled Bush Cricket

Things Bright and Beautiful

18 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by theresagreen in Beetles, British hoverflies, Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, Butterflies of Wales, calcareous grassland, flower folklore, Nature, Nature of Wales, Wildflowers of Wales, wildflowers on limestone

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Briwydd felen, common milkwort, dark green fritillary, eyebright, Galium verum, Great Pied hoverfly, Lady's bedstraw, meadow wildflowers, Sicus ferrugineus, strangalia maculata, sulphur beetle, thick-headed flies, wild thyme

July 3rd – Bryn Euryn

Adder’s Field

Frothy sunshine-yellow Lady’s Bedstraw brightens the grass and on this warm sunny day scents the air with the delicate fragrance of fresh-cut hay.

Lady’s Bedstraw-Galium verum; Welsh-Briwydd felen

Flowering: June to September

Medieval legend has it that the Virgin Mary lay on a bed of Lady’s Bedstraw in the stable of the inn in Bethlehem, as the donkeys had eaten all the other fodder. It is from this legend that the common name for the plant was taken, and also led to the belief that a woman lying on Lady’s Bedstraw would have a safe and easy childbirth.

Lady’s Bedstraw is a plant of dry grassland, dry banks, downs and old established sand-dunes. On warm sunny days the air surrounding the frothy yellow flowerheads is deliciously fragranced with the scent of lightly perfumed fresh hay. Lady’s bedstraw is a food source for the huge Elephant hawk-moth caterpillar, then is favoured by the adult moths as a rich source of nectar. The migrant Humming-bird Hawk Moths are attracted to it too.

Lady’s Bedstraw was once one of the most useful of the meadow flowers; it was commonly used as a ‘strewing herb’, a natural form of air-freshening and for stuffing mattresses. In the north of England the yellow flowers were once used to curdle milk, giving rise to several associated names such as cheese rennet and cheese renning. The leaves and stems yield a yellow dye and the roots a red dye; it was said that when cattle feed on it, it reddens their bones.

Lady’s Bedstraw contains the chemical coumarin, used in the drug dicouramol, which will prevent the blood clotting. In herbal medicine it was claimed the herb was a remedy for for urinary diseases, epilepsy and gout.

Keeled garlic, whose flowers attract Common Blue butterflies and the long stand of Hemp Agrimony on the woodland edge are in bud.

Keeled Garlic

Hemp Agrimony

There are tiny acorns on the Oaks; stalked ones on the Pedunculate Oaks and tight-to-the-twig ones on the Sessile Oaks.

Stalked acorns of Pedunculate Oak

Unstalked acorns of Sessile Oak

Summit Cliffs

Up here on the near-summit rocky cliffs I spot a single lovely Grayling. It settles on a warmed rock close by and I manage to catch it before it folds away the orange markings on its upper wings.

Grayling –Hipparchia semele

I am fascinated by the butterfly’s cryptic camouflage, its ability to melt into the rocks it settles on to bask. If I take my eyes off it I have to wait until it flits off again to relocate it. Unless it lands on my shoe!

Eyebright with purple leaves

I was keen to get a good number of shots of this obliging subject, as in this location at least their appearances are not always predictable.This year I’ve had a few sightings, last year none at all. After a few minutes of following it from rock to rock I realised the butterfly had no immediate plans to go far, so I relaxed a little and sat for a while on a patch of grass.

There’s a whole other realm cuched down in these often- dry grassy-rocky areas. In the little patch where I chose to sit Common Milkwort was growing through Wild Thyme in a rocky crevice and nearby the tiny yellow dots of a creeping Hop Trefoil marked its presence, punctuated with taller purple-leaved Eyebright.

Wild thyme, Common milkwort & Hop trefoil

I spotted a bright yellow-green beetle scurrying through the vegetation, thinking this must appear to him to be a veritable jungle. I had wondered what Sulphur beetles got up to when not gorging on hogweed.

Sulphur beetle scurrying through short grass

Sulphur beetle scurrying through the jungle of short grass and thatch

Downland slope

There were large mushroom-like fungi growing amongst the grass here. Many were clearly being eaten by something – voles, mice? Maybe even slugs or snails.

160703-55-Bryn Euryn-Mushroom, lady's bedstraw, salad burnet going to seed

Mushroom-type fungus, partly eaten. Amongst Lady’s Bedstraw & Salad Burnet seedheads

A neat hole right through the cap

This one was turning unpleasantly slimy

Someone had turned this one over to reveal the ‘spongy’ underside

Then, further down the slope, the very thing I had been crossing my fingers hoping to see- a flash of orange that was a Dark Green Fritillary taking off vertically from a Common Orchid.

160703-55-Bryn Euryn-Dk Green Fritillary underside

Dark Green Fritillary-Argynnis aglaja

There is a small colony of these lovely fritillaries here; the most I’ve ever seen at the same time in a season was 10-12. That year the Knapweed and Scabious they prefer to nectar on, were more fully in flower than now . Thus far I have seen only two at the same time. Today there was just the one. I hope there are a few more to come. The butterfly returned to nectar on one of a few Knapweed flowers fully opened. It shared the space with a chunky insect I am trying to find the identity of.

160703-Bryn Euryn-Knapweed with sicus ferrugineus

A thick-headed fly-Sicus ferrugineus

The fritillaries are large, fast flying and tricky to approach. Sensibly they have also based themselves within a particularly brambly, steep and uneven part of the hill that restricts access. That means grabbing images as and when you can – but I like that, it keeps them ‘real’, so you see the butterfly as I did – mostly through a grass curtain.

From the Fritillary patch to the bramble patch and sightings of Small Heath, a couple of Ringlets, a Large Skipper, Speckled Woods and hoverflies.

Ringlet-Aphantopus hyperantus

Ringlet

Small Heath

Pellucid Fly

Sun Fly or The Footballer

Sarcophagus or Flesh fly-

And to finish with a flourish, one of my favourite beetles, Strangalia maculata.

Strangalia maculata

Summer Orchids

16 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by theresagreen in Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, calcareous grassland, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, wildflowers, Wildflowers of Wales, wildflowers on limestone

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

anacamptis pyramidalis, British Orchids, common spotted orchid, dactylorhiza fuchsii, Pyramidal Orchid, summer orchids, Teigeiren Brych, Teigeirian bera

June 23rd-Bryn Euryn

5/6/16 – Pyramidal Orchid – first sighting of 2016

I photographed my first sighting of a Pyramidal Orchid on June 5th, where it was growing through a complimentary patch of Common Rockroses. Since then they have come on apace and there are many more showing their beautiful heads amongst the long grass that fringes the summit of the Bryn.

July 3rd

Ten days later the rush of blooms had slowed and whilst there were still a good number to be found, they are more scattered and most significantly smaller than the earlier ones were.

23/6/16-Bryn Euryn-Pyramidal Orchids in long grass

160623-Bryn Euryn-46-Pyramidal Orchid in landscape

23/6/16-Bryn Euryn-Pyramidal Orchid in the wider landscape

Pyramidal Orchid– Anacampsis pyramidalis; Welsh – Teigeirian bera

This orchid may be found flowering from early June through to early August, but here it is definitely at its peak now and flowering abundantly.

In general, the Pyramidal Orchid is found on grassland, usually on lime or chalk, but also on dunes. It is locally common in most of Britain, but rare in Scotland.

23/6/16-Pyramidal Orchid-Bryn Euryn

Pyramidal Orchid

The plant is so-named for the shape of the flowerhead: a workaday name for such an exotic-looking bloom I think, although it does help to distinguish it from the Fragrant Orchid, with which it may be confused.

The plant’s success and abundance may be due to its relationship with insects. Each flower has a long thread-like spur that holds a generous supply of nectar that attracts day and night flying butterflies and moths. When the nectar is accessed, modified stamens stick to the tongue of the insect that straighten during the insect’s flight and are then pushed directly onto the stigma of the next flower visited. This results in viable seeds being produced in 95% of the flowers.

Crossing the hill’s summit and walking through the ‘downland’ area, more Orchids are blooming prolifically, these being Common Spotted Orchids.

Common Spotted Orchids -Bryn Euryn-Little Orme in background

Flower spikes of plants on Bryn Euryn vary in colour. Most are this lilac-purple colour, others are white with a few in shades between.

Common Spotted Orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii; Welsh Teigeiren Brych

The flowers vary from white to pale or dark purple and are patterned with dots or small blotches of a darker purple.

The leaves are narrow and usually dark-spotted.

3/7/16-Bryn Euryn-Common Spotted Orchid in long grass amidst Common Rockrose

Brambles, Bumbles and Butterflies

10 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by theresagreen in British hoverflies, Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, bumblebees, Butterflies of Wales, Insects, Nature of Wales, nature of woodlands, nature photography, plants important to wilflife

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

bombus hypnorum, bombus pratorum, coenonympha pamphilus, Early Bumblebee, grayling, Great Pied hoverfly, hipparchia semele, importance of bramble flowers to insects, Large Skipper, Meadow Brown, myathropa florea, pararge aegeria, Pellucid fly, Red Admiral, small heath, speckled wood, syrphus species of hoverfly, tree bumblebee, Volucella pellucans

June 23rd- Bryn Euryn

Bramble flowers are an important source of nectar and pollen for many species of insects and today, a large tangled patch of blackberry brambles in a sunny spot on the sheltered Woodland Trail was alive with an array of bumblebees and hoverflies.

23/6/16-Pellucid fly-Volucella pellucens on bramble flower

Hoverflies

Since living here I have begun to recognise the most obvious and more commonly-occurring species of hoverflies, and they don’t come much bigger or more obvious than the handsome Pellucid Fly (Volucella pellucens), aka the Great Pied Hoverfly. This is one of the largest most obvious and recognisable of our British hoverflies.

Myathropa florea

Yellow-and-black stripes are the well-used livery of many hoverfly species and sorting out the different species accurately, especially the small ones, requires more skill and knowledge than I have at the moment, or at least some crystal clear images of certain parts of them.

Bigger yellow and black species are a little easier, especially if they have good clear markings, such as sported by this new-to-me, or at least newly identified Myathropa florea (no common name). I was aided and amused in this ID by a tip from the author of my Hoverfly bible¹, who suggests that the lower marking on the thoracic dorsum (part behind the head) resembles the Batman logo. Well, in a nice fresh clearly marked individual it does!

160703-Bryn Euryn-55-Hoverfly in dog rose flower

Syrphus sp hoverfly in a Dog Rose

One of the only small hoverflies that is unique and distinctive in its markings and has earned a common name is the Marmalade Fly Episyrphus Baltaetus. This one was hovering at just about my head height, darting hither and thither in a patch of sunlight in defence of his territory. The image of him in the photograph is still bigger than he was.

Bumblebees

There were bumblebees aplenty, mostly Red-tailed, White tailed and Common Carders, but also Tree Bumblebees and a few little Early Bumblebee workers.

Tree bumblebee-Bombus hypnorum

The number of Tree Bumblebees here has increased greatly over the last few years. I used to see them mainly in early Spring in the Quarry field on Green Alkanet flowers, and maybe the odd one or two further afield. Now they are present in all parts of the site and can be spotted on an array of flowers through to the end of the summer.

160623-Bryn Euryn-Early Bumblebee workers

Early Bumblebee- Bombus pratorum (worker)

Butterflies

Meadow Brown-Maniola jurtina

Speckled Wood-Pararge aegeria

Large Skipper-Ochlodes venatus (male)

Bryn Euryn-Large Skipper (female)

Not bramble related, but a special treat was a very brief encounter with a Grayling. On the track up to the summit it literally landed in front of me, sat on a small rock for a few seconds then took off into the breeze.

Grayling-Hipparchia semele

The same strong breeze that carried away the Grayling was keeping the Small Heaths tucked down in the grass, but I finally managed to get an almost-clear view of one feeding on Wild Thyme.

Small Heath-Coenonympha pamphilus

Walking back down through the woods on the way home, a Red Admiral startled me when it flew up from a bramble at the side of the track. It settled back down when I stopped, then flew out again – the feisty thing was deliberately warning me to get out of his space! He sat brazenly on a leaf at about my eye level and reared up defiantly as I approached with the camera, not giving an inch and I’m sure trying to stare me down! Loved his attitude.

Red Admiral-Vanessa atalanta

____________________________________________________________________________________

References: ¹ Britain’s Hoverflies – Stuart Ball and Roger Morris

Birds by the sea

02 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by theresagreen in birds of the seashore, Birdwatching on North Wales coast, mussel beds, Nature of Wales, Rhos Point, wading birds

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Curlew, European Herring Gull, mussel beds, Oystercatcher, Rhos Point, sandwich tern

June 20th-Rhos Point

13.34- A sunny day with a strong breeze made it feel cold, but I was in need of some quick-fix fresh air and for that, Rhos Point is the perfect spot. It’s also one of my favourite spots for watching wading birds, although I don’t visit it much during the breeding season as it is almost deserted by birds and becomes uncannily quiet. Today I arrived as the tide was coming in and I spotted a small group of Oystercatchers waiting patiently for today’s incoming lunch, so I waited too to see if they would be joined by others.

As I made my way down nearer to the shore I heard some lively chirruping emanating from a shrub that has taken hold on the promenade edge, then a few House Sparrows flew out and headed for the shore below to forage amongst the exposed rocks.

Two elegant Sandwich Terns flew low over the sea, close to its edge.

13.37 pm – Oystercatchers on the sea edge use the waiting time to rest or preen.

Oystercatchers are high on the list of my most favourite birds, they have great character and charisma and the more I learn more about them the more fascinating they become. They are large wading birds and when not resting are noisy. They sport large long orange or red bills, which they use for smashing or prying open molluscs.

The diet of coastal oystercatchers is varied, although dependent upon coast type; on this rocky shore with its extensive mussel beds, they will prey upon mussels of course, and also on limpets and gastropods. They also take advantage of whatever the tides bring in such as small fish and crabs.

160620-Rhos Point 1339b-Oystercatcher with blunt beak

The shape of this bird’s bill shows it to be a ‘hammerer’

The bill shape varies according to the diet. ‘Stabbers’ feed by jabbing their laterally compressed bill tips in between the valves of a mussel’s shell, while ‘hammerers’ crack open mussel shells by pounding on them. Those birds with blade-like bill tips pry open or smash mollusc shells, and those with pointed bill tips tend to probe for worms.

13.40 – The Oystercatchers were joined by a beautiful Sandwich Tern.

The Sandwich tern is a summer breeding visitor, returning to north-west Wales & Anglesey from late March to September. In the UK, many of the important colonies survive because they are on nature reserves.

This is a very white tern, which in summer breeding plumage had a full black cap on its head. The bill is long and black with a diagnostic yellow tip. The legs are short and black and the tail short and forked. In flight it shows grey wedges on its wings tips.

13.44- A small number of Curlews flew in to land on the rocky sea edge, where their cryptic plumage allows them to all but disappear.

I took this short video as the Curlews arrived – coudn’t avoid the wind noise!

The curlew is the largest European wading bird, instantly recognisable on winter estuaries or summer moors by its long, downcurved bill, brown upperparts, long legs and evocative call.

13.47- The mysterious moment that suddenly galvanises waiting wading birds into action arrived and triggered most, though not all of the Oystercatchers to begin foraging in earnest.

13.48- A Herring gull arrived to join the party.

13.52- A second Sandwich Tern flew in, closely followed by a third.

The terns also settled down to preen.

13.59- A Cormorant flew past at speed.

14.04- A Herring gull- it’s good to see them down here, where away from the rooftops, rubbish tips and promenades they are not upsetting anyone!

Butterflies and more rare treats

29 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by theresagreen in Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, bumblebees, Butterflies of Wales, calcareous grassland, day-flying moths, Insects, nationally scarce wildflowers, Nature of Wales, Wildflowers of Wales

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Adscita geryon, Cistus Forester moth, common blue, common rockrose, Cryptocephalus hypochaeridis, Dingy Skipper, Jewel beetles, Nottingham Catchfly, Pyramidal Orchid, salad burnet, Silene nutans, small heath, small shiny metallic green beetle, speckled wood

June 5th

One of the most fascinating, and sometimes a little frustrating thing about observing wildlife is that no two days, even in the same location are ever the same. I know that, but I had to retrace yesterday’s steps in the hope of further sightings of a Dingy Skipper or two didn’t I?

Along the Woodland Trail, Speckled Woods seemed even more numerous than yesterday, and a little more willing to bask with open or partially open wings.

Speckled Wood and shadow

Leaving the shelter of the trees and entering the open meadow there was a fairly strong, cool breeze blowing – not the best of conditions for photographing butterflies that tend to stay low in the grass on such days, despite today’s sunshine. That didn’t deter me from stubbornly attempting to get some images of a lovely fresh male Common Blue. It was highly mobile, but during their frantic circuiting, these butterflies frequently return to the same spot to settle for a breather and luckily this was the case with this beauty; he favoured this particular grass stem or a nearby head of clover, so I waited there and eventually caught him during moments when the breeze briefly stilled. Not as sharp an image as I’d like, but a record.

Common Blue male upperside

Common Blue male underside

I wondered if I might see the little green jewel beetle again. Last night, looking for information about this species I read they favour yellow compositeae flowers and remembered there were a few hawkweed plants close to where I found it yesterday. Lo and behold, I found not just one there, but a mating pair. I’ve put in two images of them, one to show their real size and another enlarged one to show how beautiful they are.

160605-BE26-Green metallic beetles-mating pair

Mating pair of Cryptocephalus aureolus

After a few minutes of photographing the obligingly oblivious pair I noticed a female Swollen-thighed Beetle -Oedemera nobilis (females don’t have the swollen thighs of the male) that had landed on a nearby flowerhead.

She decided to take a closer look at what the mating pair were up to. (Sorry about blurry image-swaying flower stem!)

160605-BE39-Green metallic beetles-mating pair

Mating pair of Cryptocephalus aureolus observed by a female Oedemera nobilis

I couldn’t resist this patch of pretty Common Daisies in the long grass.

A slight variation on yesterdays route took me up the track that comes out the other side of the hill. It was even breezier up there, but there were insects about taking advantage of the nectar and pollen on offer from the abundant wildflowers, mainly Rock-roses and clovers.

A Carder bumblebee in action on red and then white clover:

This side of the hill’s summit was looking beautiful, carpeted with sunshine yellow Rock-rose and Bird’s-foot Trefoil.

Summit carpeted with the sunshine yellow blooms of Rockroses and Bird’s-foot Trefoil (click on image to enlarge)

I stood still for a few minutes scanning the flowers for butterflies. Small Heaths were most numerous, but I did spot a single Dingy Skipper. Living up to its name, it was skipping around randomly at speed, too fast and mobile for a photograph, but at least I’d seen it. I had more luck with a lovely little iridescent green Forester Moth that landed on a Salad Burnet flowerhead and stayed there.

There are three similar species of Forester Moth in Britain that can be difficult to tell apart, but I think this one is a Cistus Forester-Adscita geryon. According to the Butterfly Conservation info: “This species is generally smaller than the Forester or Scarce Forester and the presence of good quantities of the Cistus Forester’s foodplant, Common Rock-rose, can be a useful indication of this species.”

Now for the ‘rare treat’! Since I came to live here, I have been looking out for a ‘Nationally Scarce’ plant that is recorded as growing here, the fascinating Nottingham Catchfly-Silene nutans. I’d only seen pictures and read about it, imagining I would find it in a rocky place on the cliffs or in bare ground. But, much to my amazement and delight, I found it today well-hidden amongst lush long grasses near the edge of a track. Getting my eye in, I saw there were several smaller clumps of the plant further back from the track edge, so clearly a good year for it. Difficult to photograph in the strong breeze, I’ve edited and sharpened my images a little so the plant is more visible than it was on the day!

Nottingham Catchfly amongst swaying long grasses

The plant is so-named because it was first found on the walls of Nottingham Castle. It no longer grows there as the site was destroyed during work done on the site in the 19th century. The flower remains the County Flower for Nottinghamshire though.

The plant is vespertine like many of the catchflies. This means that the flowers tend to stay closed in the daytime and open in the evening or at night, when they release a heavy scent into the evening air in order to attract night-flying insects and moths.

Flowers are drooping, in very open clusters and all usually pointing one way. Petals white above, greenish or pinkish beneath.

Each flower opens over three successive nights revealing one whorl of stamens on the first night and another on the second and the styles on the third. This is thought to prevent self fertilisation.

Moving on up to the summit I found my first Pyramidal Orchid of the year, still tightly in bud.

First Pyramidal Orchid-Anacamptis pyramidalis amongst Common Rock-rose

Back in the same spot as yesterday I got another brief glimpse of a Dingy Skipper nectaring on Bird’s-foot Trefoil.

Dingy Skipper on Birds-foot Trefoil

At the bottom of the ‘downland’ slope I finally caught up with a Small Heath on a buttercup.

And to finish, a female Common Blue.

Beautiful blooms and some rare treats (1)

26 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by theresagreen in Beetles, Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, Butterflies of Wales, calcareous grassland, grasses, Insects, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, North Wales, Wildflowers of Wales

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

brachypodium sylvaticum, burnet rose, common rockrose, Cryptocephalus hypochaeridis, Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages, false brome, foxglove, hoary rockrose, Jewel beetles, small shiny metallic green beetle, speckled wood

Foxglove-Digitalis

The first week of June was full of the promise of a glorious summer to come. A run of warm sunny days had brought forth perfect and prolific blooms and began to coax out the butterflies.

June 4th

Along the woodland trail that circuits the lower slopes of the Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, the early summer wildflowers are peaking. Foxgloves are at their perfect best, with stems full of open blooms graduating upwards to buds. There are not many plants on this site, but they seem to be gradually increasing in number year on year.

Honeysuckle is blooming prolifically, the best I have ever seen it and it smells heavenly.

The wild strawberry patch is also full of flowers, promising a bumper crop to come,although it is in danger of becoming overwhelmed by encroaching ivy and other vegetation.

Wild Strawberry

Birds were heard but not seen, concealed by the dense foliage of the tree canopy; Chiffchaff, Wren, and Blackbirds were all still singing between nesting duties.

A Blackbird male paused from singing to hunt on the woodland track

False Brome-Brachypodium sylvaticum

Some of the clumps of grass that grow along the woodland tracks are flowering now. This is False Brome-Brachypodium sylvaticum, a perennial grass common in woodlands where it prefers the shade of the canopy.

Flowering False Brome

Oak leaves are already being eaten

One of the more severe winter storms brought down three Scots Pines. Two have been sawn up and cleared away but the largest has been left where it fell and poignantly continues to live, now producing new cones.

New cones on fallen Scots Pine

New leaves on Yew tree

Beautiful fresh Speckled Wood butterflies were out in number and busy patrolling territories or sitting on leaves, wings closed in wait for intruders or potential mates.

Speckled Wood on Ash leaf

Up the steps and into the small open meadow the first impression was of lush greenery. The grass is growing long and closer inspection reveals it is studded with purple and white clovers, yellow Common Rock-rose and buttercups and the curiously flowered salad burnet.

A variety of meadow grasses with Common rockrose and Salad burnet

Along the edge of the tree-line another burnet, the beautiful Burnet Rose (visible centre left of the photograph above) is also in full flower. It too smells divine and was absolutely buzzing with a variety of bumblebee species revelling in the pollen and nectar bounty on offer.

Burnet rose with Tree bumblebee

In previous years I have noted that the Burnet roses have played host to a bright orange fungus, this is Rust fungus Phragmidium rosa-pimpinellifoliae. It doesn’t appear to harm the plants, but this year the fungus is almost as prolific as the blooms themselves.

Burnet roses with Rust fungus

On the small rocky outcrop at the top end of the field there are pretty clumps of Common Rock-rose-Helianthemum nummularium.

Cryptocephalus aureolus

A glint of emerald green drew my attention to a tiny shiny beetle in the centre of a Rock-rose flower. This little Jewel beetle doesn’t appear to have a Common name, so is known by its Scientific name of Cryptocephalus aureolus. The generic name of the beetle and its relatives refers to the insects’ heads being hidden under the pronotum. This is a new species recording for me here on the Bryn, which is not to say they haven’t always been here, just that I hadn’t seen one till now

I saw some little butterflies from here, a couple of Common Blues and Small Heaths, but all flying low in the long grass and in no mood to settle to pose for portraits.

Onwards and upwards along the Summit Trail, taking the track that comes out at the bottom of the steep ‘downland’ slope. This is often a good place to find Common Blue and Brown Argus butterflies, but not today, although there were a good number of Small Heaths to be seen, again not settling for me.

Summit Trail

I progressed fairly slowly up the steep slope and near the summit was attracted to a sheltered corner backed by trees, bordered by raspberry brambles and where the ground was covered by Common Rock-rose and Bird’s-foot Trefoil flowers. I was drawn there by the sight of a small brown butterfly, which I hoped may be a Brown Argus, but which turned out to be a female Common Blue.

Then I noticed a slightly larger brown flutterer that I thought at first was a moth. A closer view changed my mind, this was a butterfly and although it was rather faded and a bit tattered round the wing-edges, was the right size and shape for a Skipper. Old records for the site indicate the presence of the Dingy Skipper-Erynnis tages, whose common name may not inspire much excitement, but this is a fairly uncommon butterfly in the UK, with recorded sightings at sites in North Wales not exceeding low single figures. I hope now my ID is right – if anyone knows better, please let me know!

Dingy Skipper from a distance

I’m sure I’m not alone here, but I get nervous when I’m confronted by a new-to-me species of anything; especially when I’m aware this may be my one and only chance to record a sighting. So, I find I hold my breath, begin to panic slightly that I won’t get a photograph that will help me confirm its identity back at home and pray no-one will pass close by and disturb my target. My ‘technique’ thereafter is quite basic – to start from a distance and gradually move in closer, capturing as many images as I can before my subject takes off!

Dingy Skipper-Erynnis tages

This particular butterfly was not making things easy and was restlessly flitting about amongst the flowers, staying low to the ground and frequently hidden amongst the plants. I felt quite dizzy staying focussed and following it around, probably down to lack of oxygen intake from the not-breathing. As ever, I would have liked more opportunities for photographs, but did manage to get a couple of fairly clear images that at least have given me my sighting record.

Dingy Skipper underside

After a few moments the butterfly took off away down the hill and I lost track of it. The camera battery also chose that moment to expire and as this had been a spur of the moment, travel light walk, I had no spare with me!

I have written detailed posts about many of the subjects mentioned in this one, so rather than repeat myself, I have added links to click onto if you would like to see more about any of them. For more about the Dingy Skipper, go to http://butterfly-conservation.org/679-1101/dingy-skipper.html

Fairy Moths & Sainted Flies

10 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by theresagreen in Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, day-flying moths, Insects, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Adela reaumurella, bibio marci, black fly with long dangling legs, fairy long-horn moth, green long-horn moth, St Mark's fly, swarm of black flies in Spring

I first saw the delightfully strange little Green Longhorn moths on Bryn Euryn on the 13th May last year, where a fairly large number of them were dancing around an oak tree in the sunshine. Initially I thought they may be St Mark’s flies, but as I got closer I could see these insects were much tinier, had ridiculously long white antennae and wings that had a metallic greeny-bronze sheen to them. It took me a while after that to discover their identity, but finally learnt that they were Long-horn moths, also known as Fairy Long-horn moths and this particular species was the Green Long-horn moth, Adela reaumurella.

Finding them in the exact same location yesterday (May 9th), was a surprise and a treat, more so as this time they were mixed in with a largish number of St Mark’s flies and were behaving differently. No group dancing today, the combined species, all male, were travelling along rather erratically in a wide ribbon, staying within the cover of the oak leaves and making frequent individual brief stops on leaves. They were maintaining a consistent height above the ground at about my head height (I’m 5′ 3″), and progressing along the band of trees and shrubs that border one side of the meadow. I’d love to know what was happening.

GREEN (FAIRY) LONG-HORN MOTH-Adela reaumurella

DESCRIPTION

Wingspan: 14-18mm; both sexes have rough black hair on their heads and thorax, giving them a furry appearance when seen close-up. Upperwings are a metallic green-bronze and underwings are metallic bronze. Males have extremely long, whitish antennae; the females’ antennae are shorter.

HABITAT

Open areas such as heathland, moorland, country gardens, parks and wherever the larval foodplant is found.

The moths fly in the daytime during May and June, sometimes occurring in swarms and often around the tops of trees and bushes.

LIFE HISTORY

The larvae feed on leaf litter of Oak and Birch and make themselves portable cases with leaf fragments. The larvae have no prolegs and pupate in their larval cases.

ST MARK’S FLY – Bibio marci

The St. Mark’s Fly is a species of true fly, also known as Hawthorn flies and belongs to the family Bibionidae.

This jet-black fly is so-named as it frequently appears on or around the feast day of St Mark, which falls on April 25th and is seen in flight in May. They are found around woodland edges, hedges, rough grassland and wetlands and can be seen throughout the UK in spring. The males are often encountered in a swarm drifting slowly up and down at about a person’s head height, long legs dangling, trying to attract females. The swarms can be annoying, especially if you have to walk through one, and the insects are not averse to landing on people. However, they are harmless and as insects that feed on nectar, they are important pollinators, particularly of fruit trees and crops.

DESCRIPTION

Length: The male is about 12 mm and the female 14 mm long. Although appearing black and shiny, this is quite a hairy black insect. Wings: The wings have a black front edge. The compound eyes are large and bulbous and they have a rather tubular segmented body and black legs. The front legs have a stout spine at the tip of the tibia.

The females are larger, have smoky wings and much a smaller head and eyes.

LIFE HISTORY

The St. Mark’s Fly has a very short adult life cycle, being in flight for approximately only one week. The majority of their time is spent as larva in the soil. During autumn and winter, larvae feed on rotting vegetation which they chew with their strong mouthparts. In springtime the males emerge first and the females a few days later. After mating, females lay their eggs in the soil and die soon afterwards.

House sparrows & Starlings at home

19 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by theresagreen in bird behaviour, birds of Wales, garden wildlife, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, Rhos-on-Sea

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

birds of conservation concern, garden birds, house sparrow, house sparrows taking pampas grass, passer domesticus, starling

I was pleased to see House sparrows once again topped this year’s list of the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch in England, Wales and Scotland, but we shouldn’t get complacent, they’re still on the ‘Red List’ of birds requiring the highest conservation priority, along with other species needing urgent action.

Over the past couple of weeks I have spent some afternoons dog-sitting for my daughter, which has given me the opportunity to catch up with the little flock that regard her garden, together with those of the immediate neighbours’ as their territory.

160222-Nat's garden-House sparrow after bathing

House sparrows love to bathe and sit on the fence to dry out

I don’t blame them for settling here, they have everything they need to live as easy and productive life as it is possible for birds to enjoy. Throughout the year they come and go throughout the day, enjoying the bounty of well-stocked bird feeders, a pond in which to bathe and hedges to provide cover and perching places. Every evening the whole community returns to roost safely within the prickly pyracantha hedge. Now they are well into the throws of nesting. Earlier on they began refurbishing last year’s nests or rebuilding any lost through winter pruning. There are perhaps 4-5 nests, sited close together, although the level of noise that emanates from within sounds like there should be more. A couple more pairs prefer the loftier location of the eaves above the third floor at the front of the house.

In the breeding season the dominant birds leave the safety of the hedges and perch prominently on the highest points of shrubs to proclaim their territory, although the individual territory of the male House Sparrow really only consists of the nesting hole and a very small area around it, which is defended vigorously.

Dominant males have larger, darker feather ‘bib’ patches

Females judge males on the vigor of his behaviour and also by his plumage. The black bib and how it is displayed is hugely important for him and size matters. Apparently males with small bibs can be induced to behave more boldly if they have bigger and blacker bibs painted on them!

160403-Nat's garden-House sparrow on elder

A younger male with only a semblance of a bib

160222-Nat's garden-House sparrow female perched

Dominant females join their partners, but tend to stay slightly lower down and prefer a little more cover

160222-Nat's garden-House sparrows eating greens

Female House sparrows eating fresh greenery

Every year, when the nests are built or refurbished, the sparrows systematically strip the soft fluffy seed heads of the pampas grass that grows in a neighbouring garden. I spent ages one afternoon watching them as they returned repeatedly to strip the stems and carry off the fronds. I assume they use the fluffy parts to line their nests, but wonder if there are seeds to eat too? I find this behaviour fascinating and have witnessed it in South Wales where pampas was growing and also in our garden in Spain. In each location they begin working on the plant on the same day, arriving sometimes in numbers, males and females and set to, detaching the fronds and carrying them off a beakful at time. The harvest continues over a few days until the stems are left bare.

A Starling pair are nesting in one of the chimney pots and they too enjoy the feeding and bathing facilities, also pausing to dry out on perched on the fence or at the top of the hedge. Still one of our commonest garden birds, its decline elsewhere makes it too a Red List species.

The bird in the photographs below is the male of the pair, identified by the blue colouration at the base of his bill; the female has a similar patch that is coloured pink.

The male sings beautifully, sometimes from up on the roof but also from the fence and the top of the hedge. His mate doesn’t get out much at the moment, so must be sitting on eggs.

The starling was singing, hence the fluffed out throat feathers

Starling female has a pink patch at the base of her bill

PS: The pampas grass is now just a collection of bare dry stems!

The Goats of the Great Orme

09 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by theresagreen in coastal walks, Great Orme, Llandudno, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, North Wales

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

cashmere, Conservation issues, goat mascot of Royal Welsh Fusiliers, goats of the Great Orme, Kashmiri goats

The herd of goats that roam Llandudno’s Great Orme is famous far and wide and for many visitors a sighting of them is a highlight of their trip. Sightings are often distant and to an extent dependent on the time of year, but they do wander as they browse and graze and can appear almost anywhere. I like to see them browsing on the steep limestone cliffs and watch them negotiate the narrow ledges with amazing and sometimes breath-taking agility. Up there they remind me that although their home is in a public Country Park, they are still wild animals within it.

These are Kashmiri goats, whose ancestors once roamed the mountains of Northern India. Their soft undercoats are the material that cashmere wool is spun from. The word cashmere is an old spelling of the Kashmir region in northern India and Pakistan.

160328-Llandudno6-Goats on west side of Gt Orme

Kashmiri nanny goat

The origin of the Great Orme goats and their arrival in Britain is attributed to Squire Christopher Tower, from Brentwood in Essex, who discovered a large herd which had recently been imported from Kashmir into France in the early part of the last century. His idea was to create a profitable woollen industry, so he purchased a pair of the goats, and took them to Weald Park in Brentwood. The goats flourished, and soon produced kids, from which the Squire was, eventually, able to manufacture a cashmere shawl. George IV was highly impressed by this article, and was happy to accept a pair of the goats presented to him by Squire Tower. So began the Windsor herd, which increased rapidly, and in the reign of Queen Victoria, cashmere shawls became extremely fashionable. It is often said that Queen Victoria was presented with the goats by the Shah of Persia, and it may be that these were added to the already existing herd.

Later in the Century, Major General Sir Savage Mostyn acquired two of the Windsor goats, and took them to the grounds of Gloddaeth Hall. It is possible that they were found to be unsuitable as park animals and the goats were transferred to the Great Orme. Over a period of almost a hundred years, these animals have existed virtually in isolation, and have evolved into the unique breed they now are. They have reverted to a wild state, and are now regarded as wild animals.

The size of the herd is said to be maintained at about 60, which is based on the optimum number of animals for the size of the territory available to them. The herd is made up of full grown billies, juvenile billies, nannies and kids. For most of the year, the nannies browse on the side of the mountain with their youngest offspring while the mature and immature billies roam in small groups away from them. They don’t mix until the Autumn rut.

A mature billy has enormous horns that curve backwards, almost touching the nape of his neck. A shaggy fringe covers the forehead and he sports a long beard. The horns are crenulated, with large ridges unevenly spaced along their length. It is possible to estimate the age of a billy by the ridges on its horns as each section represents one year’s growth. The horns of the young billies and the nannies are slim and delicate, curving gently backwards. In the nannies, the ridges are less obvious and ageing them is not so easy. Barring accidents, the goats will live for about nine years.

I believe the group I came across were nannies with a couple of new kids visible in the distance near the summit.

Goats will reputedly eat anything, but given choice, which these privileged individuals have, they can afford to be a bit choosier. Their vegetation species of choice are gorse, hawthorn, elder, bracken, bramble, ivy, stinging nettles and privet, according to the season. In the Autumn, they will browse on the grass, moving to the slopes where they can find a plentiful supply.

160328-Llandudno10-Goat & kids on west side of Gt Orme

The most distant goats may well be this year’s kids

Although technically an alien, or introduced species to Great Britain, the goats are considered by many to be an integral part of the Great Orme environment and nowadays their grazing plays a part in maintaing the flora for which the headland is renowned. Not everyone appreciates them however, particularly when they wander into the garden areas on the lower slopes, or even into the town itself.

Their population has to be kept in check to ensure that competition for resources is not too great. This involves administering contraception to nannies to control the number of kids born each year, which appears to be working. Relocation of small groups to assist conservation in other areas of the country is carried out when the opportunity arises. In recent years 6 animals were relocated to Bristol’s Avon Gorge and 2 to a SSI on Anglesey.

Mascot of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers

A select few billy goats from the Great Orme herd have acheived fame as they have been chosen as the mascot of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Records suggest that The Royal Welch Fusiliers were parading a goat as early as 1777. Whenever possible the goats are selected from the royal herd which was started at Windsor in the time of Queen Victoria, who gave 23rd Foot their first ‘royal’ goat in 1844. This herd is now located at Whipsnade Animal Park. In recent times, when no goat was available from the royal herd, the Queen has been pleased to present a wild goat from the mountains of North Wales, where a herd still exists on the Great Orme at Llandudno. This herd is known to have some Windsor blood in its ancestry.

Royal Welsh regimental goat Lance Corporal Gwillam Jenkins

Lance Corporal Gwillam ‘Taffy VI’ Jenkins, died in May 2015 after nine years of dedicated service. Following his passing, Her Majesty the Queen was informed and her permission sought to select and recruit a new Regimental goat. Permission was kindly granted and the selection process started. His replacement, Llywelyn was recruited from the Great Orme in Llandudno, North Wales on the 23 November 2015. Only the most prominent and impressive young billy kid goat is considered for selection. Following an arduous survey of the wild herd, one particular Goat stood out and demonstrated more promise than the others – this was Llywelyn.

_87825995_llywelyngoat

Llywelyn will lead the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh on all ceremonial duties, leading parades through Welsh towns and cities during Freedom Parades, Medals parades and Armed Forces Day events. He has already been invited to parade in London as part of the Queen’s 90th Birthday celebrations and will also be detached to B (Rorke’s Drift) Company for the summer as part of the guard at Buckingham Palace.