4 October 2012
On the fourth day of the month the rain had stopped and it was worthwhile taking the camera out. There were still frequent butterflies of five species blown about in the breeze with the leaves, mostly Large Whites frequently seen on the outskirts of town and well over a dozen Red Admirals visited the Ivy on thePixie Path to Mill Hill. These Red Admirals seemed to have moved up the path from the rather faded Ivy in the Butterfly Copse. At least one Comma Butterfly flew out of the Ivy. It was relatively cool (> 15.7 °C) and a the blustery wind (Force 5 gusting to Force 6) from the WSW nearly blew me off the exposed lower slopes of Mill Hill. Conditions were such that I would not have been surprised if no butterflies appeared and this appeared to be the case until I saw my first flutter of a Meadow Brown Butterfly (probably a Small Heath) in the Tor Grass, followed immediately by a Treble-Bar Moth and shortly afterwards a pristineComma Butterfly simultaneously with two Meadow Brown Butterflies.
On the fourth day of the month the rain had stopped and it was worthwhile taking the camera out. There were still frequent butterflies of five species blown about in the breeze with the leaves, mostly Large Whites frequently seen on the outskirts of town and well over a dozen Red Admirals visited the Ivy on thePixie Path to Mill Hill. These Red Admirals seemed to have moved up the path from the rather faded Ivy in the Butterfly Copse. At least one Comma Butterfly flew out of the Ivy. It was relatively cool (> 15.7 °C) and a the blustery wind (Force 5 gusting to Force 6) from the WSW nearly blew me off the exposed lower slopes of Mill Hill. Conditions were such that I would not have been surprised if no butterflies appeared and this appeared to be the case until I saw my first flutter of a Meadow Brown Butterfly (probably a Small Heath) in the Tor Grass, followed immediately by a Treble-Bar Moth and shortly afterwards a pristineComma Butterfly simultaneously with two Meadow Brown Butterflies.
A Southern Hawker dragonfly flew over the Pixie Path and Frampton's Field. Common Darters(dragonfly) frequently arose from the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Four butterfly (probably five) and one macro-moth species
Four butterfly (probably five) and one macro-moth species
