The Return of the Clouded Buff

It's back! The blue riband moth of Oxborough made a return last night, a rather worn individual but looking great nonetheless. Haven't recorded one in the trap for two years, so good to know they're still around. Also had four each of small elephant and large elephant hawks, plus two poplar hawks, a rosy footman, a pale tussock and a white satin... Plus a squillion brown things. The barn owl was quartering the meadow while I was sorting the trap out, and a female sparrowhawk and a noisy fledged juvenile passed through the garden too. Lots of greenfinches about too, seemingly recovered from their decline of last year.

Clouded Buff. Very flighty and didn't hang about when I tried to relocate it onto a leaf...

Pale Tussock. The best hairy legs in town!

Garden Skipper

Some welcome hot sunshine this morning and by 10am there were already several butterflies in the garden, including this large skipper. Saw it - or another - two days ago, and I think they're the first here for a couple of years or so. It was zipping around very fast, nectaring on geraniums and stopping to bask every so often. Still haven't yet seen a common blue this year though!

I know it's small and brown, but they're sparky little things and always good to see!

Trip to La Brenne

Aargh, too much going on and just realised that I haven't written anything on here about my trip to La Brenne last month. Incredible place, felt how I imagine the English countryside of the 1930s to have been, quiet country lanes, flower-filled lanes, butterflies and nightingales galore.... Highlights? European Pond Tortoises of course, especially meeting one on a track as it headed back to the water after egg-laying. Going up in a tiny plane with an 85-year-old pilot was merveilleux! Watching a male nightjar churring away as he sat on a branch silhouetted against the night sky was hard to beat. Plus the wonderful female large copper Tony Williams found for me ten minutes before we left. She'd just emerged and was drying off before taking her maiden flight, totally formidable! That's French formidable, not British formidable...

Oxborough Orchids

Just been over the fields to see the orchids again - still amazing, and lasting well thanks to the coolish weather. There must be 200 or so spikes there, mixture of spotteds and ?two types of marsh, one deep purple the other mid-fleshy pink (these last ones going over now). Lots of ragged robin too, plus betony coming through. Not many butterflies, even though the sun was out, a few meadow browns plus one large skipper. No common blues yet... Cuckoo calling, and a little owl flew out of the old oak tree, so hopefully nesting there. A lovely russet-coated young roe deer ran out of the hedge, thankfully unseen by Roger.