A Couple of Trips Out - 18th & 20th August, 2020

I have not been out much lately as I am still in catch-up mode at home with things that I should have done in 2019 and are so much harder to do now that it's 2020! However, I have got two short excursions to report on and, fortunately, quite a few photos to illustrate the the post with.

Tuesday 18th August           Cloud Wood

In the preceeding week I'd had an invitation from good friend Brian, who is somewhat of a botanist and also Chairman of a local wildlife group that I'm part of, to accompany him to Cloud Wood as there was a good chance of seeing Violet Helleborine in flower, and the possibility that Broad-leaved Helleborine might still be in flower - the helleborines being a group of orchid species. Although not particularly interested in the plant world, I have started to develop a bit of an interest in orchids, so I gratefully accepted the invitation.

On the Monday I had a call from Brian who, having checked the weather forecast (occasional sun and the small possibility of a shower), confirmed the arrangements for meeting up the next day. I was also told that two of the most wildlife-knowledgable people in our group, Min and Tim, would be joining us.

I arrived five minutes early (10h55), to find the other three already there and, having changed my footwear, we set off into the wood. Cloud Wood is an ancient woodland that was clear-felled during the Second World War, but allowed to regenerate naturally. It is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

We had not gone far before Brian stopped us to show us a Broad-leaved Helleborine. Sadly it had gone over, but I took some photos anyway. Helleborines are not the showiest of the orchiid family!

Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) - Cloud Wood

Cloud Wood can be interesting for insects, and I photographed a few. This next item is a tiny moth that I often see in my garden - sometimes referred to as a Mint Moth.

Pyrausta aurata - Cloud Wood

There was one insect that I initially thought was a hoverfly species, but I later found out that it was a fly, although there is a similar-looking hoverfly. The most easily noted ID feature is that the fly has a bristly back-end to the abdomen. There were many of this species seen during this visit.

Tachina fera - Cloud Wood

Tachina fera with Seven-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) - Cloud Wood

I think that this next one is a Dark-winged Flesh Fly and, if I'm correct, it seems that it is a bit of a rarity for the county, with only three previous records, one of which happened to be - in Cloud Wood!  UPDATE - now an accepted record

probable Dark-winged Flesh Fly (Nyctia halterata) - Cloud Wood

There were numerous hoverflies around, and I photographed a few. I think that I have managed to ID them all, but if you spot any mistakes, please let me know. The first is a very large one and I thought at first that it was a hornet as it flew past me. It landed near Brian, who got to it first and struggled to get a shot of it before it flew away. Fortunately I'd taken a distant record shot first. We only had one more sighting of this species, and that was a fly-past.

Volucella inanis - Cloud Wood

Eristalis pertinax - Cloud Wood

Eristalis arbustorum - Cloud Wood

There were many day-flying Silver Y moths around. This seems to have been an exceptionally good year for this migrant species.

Silver Y (Autographa gamma) - Cloud Wood

Another insect named for a character marking on its wings is the Comma butterfly. This one was intact, but a little worn.

Comma (Polygonia c-album) - Cloud Wood

I photographed a few plants on the way to finding our main objective. Here are some of them.

Umbellifera species - Cloud Wood

Cuckoo-pint (Arum maculatum) - Cloud Wood

Indian Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) - Cloud Wood

Indian Balsam, or Himalayan Balsam is an introduced and invasive species, but quite attractive in appearance.

As we approached our target species, Min noticed a slime mould on a nearby tree stump. It was probably one that goes by the attractive name of Dog Vomit Slime Mould! The scientific name is barely more pleasant.

probable Dog Vomit Slime Mould (Fuligo septica) - Cloud Wood

There were a few of our target species, the Violet Helleborine, in a small area, and they were starting to 'go over'. As they were in a deeply shaded part of the wood, photography was not easy. These shots were the best I could manage. I was using the Sigma 150 macro lens that day which allowed the use of the on-camera flash for the second image. I'm not sure which I prefer.

Violet Helleborine (Epipactis purpurata) - Cloud Wood

Having found our target, we made our way back to the entrance. However, eagle-eyed Min spotted a tiny larva on a leaf and, on examination, declared that she thought it might be a kitten moth caterpillar. Having run my photo by caterpillar expert and renowned illustrator Richard Lewington, it was confirmed as an early instar kitten, and probably a Sallow Kitten.

probable Sallow Kitten (Furcula furcula) (early instar) - Cloud Wood

Thus ended a very enjoyable and somewhat different session. My thanks to Brian, Min, and Tim.

Thursday, 20th August          Heather Lake

This was my first visit to Heather Lake since 11th July and I was not sure what to expect. After walking to the lake from my roadside parking place, I arrived to find a family with noisy children and even noisier dogs playing at the far end of the lake, acting as if they were at a seaside beach. After waiting a while to see what developed I started out on the path that headed down the west side of the lake. I didn't get very far before the family started to move. I was expecting them to come down the east side of the lake which has a quite broad clear area along it which makes crossing at a social distance possible. However, they decided to take the very narrow west side path that I was on and started heading towards me, strung out over a considerable length - it was time for me to turn round and take the east side of the lake.

I did my usual thing of taking a few shots to check my camera settings, the nearest subject to hand being a male Common Blue Damselfly. Not the best of photos, but I didn't bother with any more shots of blue damselflies that day, so here's one.

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) (male) - Heather Lake

As I neared the south end of the lake I took some shots of a mating pair of Common Darter.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (male + female in cop) - Heather Lake

At the south end of the lake I spent nearly an hour trying to get flight shots of a male Migrant Hawker. The dragonfly's lack of cooperation, coupled with my own slow reaction speed, meant that my efforts were all but a total failure. This was the best that I could do!

Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) (male) - Heather Lake

During this interlude, I saw a Silver Y moth fly out from the bank and land in the water about 10 metres from the bank. It seemed such a strange thing for it to do! The surface tension kept it afloat, as can be seen in this next image.

Silver Y (Autographa gamma) - Heather Lake

Having given up on the Migrant Hawker, I carried on a little further and, through a narrow gap in the reeds, spotted an Emperor ovipositing.

Emperor (Anax imperator) (female - ovipositing) - Heather Lake

There were many Common Darters around. When solitary, they stayed close to the ground. This meant that they could be hard to spot before disturbing them, and photographic images were somewhat cluttered, as can be seen in the first image, below. The specimen in the second image was a little more obliging in choosing a perch that was raised from the background. The most cooperative one, however, was the one that sat on a reed against a backdrop of open water, as shown in the third.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (male) - Heather Lake

Most of the Common Darters seen, however, were busy working on the next generation! I swear that the female has a grin on its face!

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (male + female in cop) - Heather Lak

Part-way along the west side I found a Brown Hawker ovipositing in a very obscured position. Usually females ovipositing give the best opportunities to photograph this species as, otherwise, they are very fast-flying and, unlike many species, they do not patrol a territory. They also rarely seem to settle anywhere.

Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis) (female - ovipositing) - Heather Lake

Having made a full clockwise circuit of the lake, I set off back anticlockwise. This proved to be a good move as I found an Emerald Damselfly to photograph.

Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) (male) - Heather Lake

Things got even better when I saw a Brown Hawker settle. I believe that I have only ever seen them settle in a tree at a height of 5 metres or more. This one was near the ground!

Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis) (female) - Heather Lake

I only managed a few shots before it disappeared into the distance.

Just as I was about to leave, a Common Darter appeared over the water, and I managed a slightly better flight shot than the one of the Migrant Hawker.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (male) - Heather Lake

It was now time to head home again.

This brings me to the end of this post.  Garden photography has been a bit thin on the ground lately, although the garden has not been without some excitement. I have also only been out into the wild only once since the two trips featured here, so the next post might feature both aspects. I shall give it a little thought!

In the meantime, take great care and stay safe - and be aware of those that seem to think that the virus has gone - it hasn't!!