"mock Tudor, half-timbered building"

After a week of poor weather, we were rewarding by another mini-heatwave.  I took the last opportunity to complete week 12 of the UKMBS butterfly survery yesterday (23rd June).  It was the hottest day of the year with a temperature of 26C.

But, half of the transect is along a delightful stream running through a maturely wooded valley.  

Tidna Valley main part of the transect

The temperature in the shade of the trees was much more reasonable.  Having seen a Meadow Brown on the first of the ten sections, I dared to anticipate a full house (https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2530752943335211299/3755956790555006431 ) that is, recording butterflies on every one of the ten sections.  Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood were common under the trees particulalry where the canopy is open allowing brambles to flourish and produce flowers attractive to all insects.

It was in one of these sunlit open areas that a New For Year (NFY) Silver-washed Fritillary appeared on section three.

Silver-washed Fritillary

Where the route emerges from the tree cover, at section six, it is more open with steep sided slopes covered in Gorse either side of a more open scrubby pathway.  It is here that the Large Blue Butterfly became extinct in Cornwall in 1979.  Despite efforts to reintroduce it, the ecology is still not yet suitable.  However Skippers and Small Heaths did appear here as well as Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in season.  And it is here where another two more NFY appeared, a Small Skipper and a Ringlet.

Small Skipper

Ringlet

The best was yet to come.  Further along this valley, within sight of the Atlantic Ocean I spotted a large, dirty white flying insect.  I could not be sure if it was moth or butterfly, but the blurred, dirty white was similar to the colour moths present as they flap their wings.  However as it came nearer, it was apparent that it was a large black and white butterfly.  I could see that the black and white were in distinct panes not unlike a mock Tudor, half-timbered building - it was a Marbled White.  So, not only NFY, but also new to this site and an uncommon species in North Cornwall VC2.

Marbled White

I couldn't beat that, but did manage to complete the "full house" with a least one butterfly in each of the ten sections.  It was not the highest number seen so far this year, but 64 butterflies of ten species with four NFY and one new for the site was very satisfying.

A Loveliness of Ladybirds

Most days when taking my daily execise, walking around our local lanes, I see a 7-spot Ladybird or even two or three.  They are bright and visible so catch the eye. This last week or so, I have been amazed at one patch of nettles on my regular daily walk.

The ordinary looking nettle patch

It looks no different from all the other patches of nettles that I look at as I walk by.  So what does make it special?  The sheer abundance of Ladybirds that can be counted there.

On the 5th, I counted five 7-spot Ladbybirds in a shaded waterside patch, but along the lane between Tonacombe and Stanbury Cross in this particular nettle patch there were 34.  They were not closely grouped, but spread about, one on an occassional nettle.On the 8th there was only one seen elsewhere but here there were 15 albeit on a damp, grey drizzly day.

Socially distanced Ladybirds

Once the sun came out and the temperature lifted a little, back they were sunning on the nettle patch - 54 on the 11th and 47 on the 13th.

7-spot Ladybird

On the 11th there was a 7-spot larva and a lone 10-spot Ladybird and on the 13th anothere larva, this time of a Harlequin Ladybird.  Todya, 16th there were and amazing 71 ladybirds.

10-spot Ladybird

Harlequin Ladbybird larva

Seen en masse Ladybirds certainly live up to their collective noun - a true loveliness.

Stranger in the night

Over the last week or so, we have been finding small, cylindrical, black droppings which look to me to be hedgehog droppings.  The picuture below shows three examples.

Hedgehog droppings

During lockdown, I decided to leave a few square metres of lawn uncut to see what grows and hopefully bring more biodiversity to the garden.  I inspect this fairly often to see what might be pushing through and noticed there were well-used pathways in the growing grasses.

Hedgehog trail

These two pieces of evidence made me decide to put out my trail camera, a Spypoint IR-8.  The following morning amongst the recordings of grasses moving in the breeze was the clip shown below.

Yes, a full-grown hedgehog going about its business and probably sleeping in the hedge bottom during the day. Now to set up a better camera position to see if I can capture some more images.