A short walk around the bottom of the park produced 300+ spikes of Common Spotted Orchid but only two small Pyramidals on the wrong side of the fence and too far for a picture. Single Common Lizards were on three different log piles but all too wary. The expected Marbled Whites were absent as were all butterflies but for one Large Skipper, two tatty Common Blues and the odd Red Admiral. The QECP moth trap had surprisingly little with just Buff Tip as the obvious 'best moth'. On the 'butterfly slope' a micro was resting,
Lathronympha strigana - specialising on St. John's Wort
; a common species but a new one for me. Hovers and other inverts were thin on the ground with only
Eristalis intricaria and
Cheilosia illustrata, both 'seconds' for the year; why so scarce??
Today, a non 'wild' day at Mottisfont with gazillions of 'Rose Garden Visitors' ensuring ludicrously long delays in the cafe and a chaotic system to boot - although I guess I could add one new species for month - Brown Trout; plenty in the stream!!
 |
| Thistle and B.lapidarius |
 |
| Lacewing |
