Magnificent beech trees shade the steep northern slopes leading to the chestnut plantations above.
Bluebells were spectacular amongst the coppiced chestnut.
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| Speckled wood butterfly |
On the edge of a foxglove leaf was a tiny wasp: an ichneumon wasp.
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| Ichneumon wasp |
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| Peacock butterfly |
A Peacock butterfly was feeding on a bluebell.
And above, a Speckled Yellow moth,
Pseudopanthera macularia was one of dozens flying this morning.
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| Pseudopanthera macularia |
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| Common carder bee? |
There were far fewer bees seen on this 3 hours walk than I see in two minutes in my garden.
This Red-tailed bee was flying around close to the ground -- not feeding but looking for the nest of a host species. It looks like the Red-tailed cuckoo bee,
Bombus rupestris.
Hiding under a dead leaf a harmless Scorpion fly moved to a more photogenic position when my camera lens got a bit too close.
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| Nomad Bee |
Parasitic Nomad bees were very common in the sunny glades.
In the meadow at Fairmile Bottom a Spotted Crane fly,
Nephrotoma appendiculata was in flight.
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| Lassioglossum sp. Furrow bee? |
A tiny
Lassioglossum sp. Furrow bee was crawling around on the path.
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| Small Heath butterfly |
Small Heaths and Brimstones were common but the elusive Fritillaries were not seen this morning.
None the less this is a magnificent place to walk and enjoy a wide diversity of species including several slow worm legless lizards.
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