Allotment and garden sightings

After the excitement of the Kirkstall Festival, we popped over to the allotment to weed, water and harvest, returning home with broad beans, turnips, gooseberries and raspberries. Lovely to see a Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) in the herb patch, feeding on Marjoram flowers.

The broad beans were lightly steamed and served alongside a nice piece of Salmon, the gooseberries transformed into a gooseberry cheesecake, the raspberries sat on top of a generous dollop of fresh cream on top of a fruit scone purchased earlier at the festival. Yum!

Back in the house, from the back door I spotted this Comma sunning itself on a potted hosta in the back garden.

Five-Spot Burnets and one Meadow Brown

On Kirkstall Hill I found lots more Burnets amongst the grasses and Red Clover. The constant breeze made for tricky pics, but it didn't deter the moths from going about their business. If anybody could help confirm whether these are Five-spot or Narrow Bordered Five-Spot Burnets I'd be very grateful.

On this visit I discovered a caterpillar and about 10 chrysalids, constructed on Buttercup and Ribwort Plantain.



Another first of the year on the hill, heading upwards, amongst the brambles, my first Meadow Brown of the year, not a great pic but enought to confirm my sighting.

The Small Tortoiseshell basked in the early evening sunshine, on a wooden palette.



Staveley

The Yorkshire Wildlife Reserve at Staveley was a nice surprise as I didn't realise the scale of the reserve, it comprises a lagoon, woodland, grassland and shallow ponds, and covers approximately 40 hectares. The 2 hides overlooking the water were locked at the time of visiting but it didn't hamper our enjoyment of the area.

We spotted 8 Meadow Brown, I was confused about the identity of this first one until it revealed the front underwing.

A Small Tortoiseshell landed to feed on Red Clover and gave great views of both its upper and underwing. Other butterflies included 10 Ringlets, 6 Small Skippers, 6 Speckled Wood.

Its a good time for wildflowers in bloom, including one of my favourites, this Field Scabious Knautia arvensis.

At one of the ponds I watched three Damselflies ovipositing in a relatively small area within close proximity to each other. Unfortunately the pics didn't come out too well but I did manage to salvage this shot which shows two close together.

Bolton Percy Station...but not quite

Having decided to familiarise ourselves with more of the Yorkshire Wildlife reserves, we headed for Bolton Percy Station, about three miles from Tadcaster. Having subsequently checked out the reserve online I now realise that we didn't quite hit our target and ended up on the opposite side of the railway line to our intended destination. Doh! Nevertheless we enjoyed the wander and still managed some enjoyable sightings with a couple of firsts for the year.

The first of the firsts of the year, a Small Heath.

And to add a sense of scale, the Small Heath sharing a leafy perch with a fly.

Another first of the year, this Meadow Brown. The forewing colour orange and buff with a single strong black eyespot and the brown hindwing with smaller black spots.

A dainty Common Blue feeding on Bramble flowers and Purple Vetch.

A beautiful female Small Skipper

Teeside visit

Whilst enjoying the sun in Maureen's garden in Billingham we spotted a Silver Y moth Autographa gamma. Its apparently 'one of the great migrants of the insect world'. Distinguishing features are the Silver Y on forewing and the double crest on the thorax. A widespread moth it flies both at night & day although it was at rest when we saw it in on a potted ivy. It feeds on a variety of both wild & cultivated plants.

At Billingham Beck, a Comma Polygonia c-album, the underwings are a dull brown colour, with a small white 'C' marking, which gives the butterfly its name.

A Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria Likes shady areas with dappled sunlight, deciduous, coniferous & mixed woodland. This one was partially obscured by the canopy, and backlit with sun illuminating its forewings. Dragonfly, a Common Darter, thanks to Emma for help with the identification.

A Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina

Hogweed, not sure which variety but I was drawn to sculptural qualities of the plant especially the flat winged seedheads of the compound umbel.

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)Most widespread of dragonflies and damselflies throughout much of Britain

Horsetail, Equisetum arvense