Saturday, 26 May 2012

Green Hairstreak Butterflies & Crossbills.


0615-0745hrs: Chiffchaffs Lee, Dale and Lad all singing away this morning. All others quiet.
The suns up now and really warm already, looks like being yet another very warm day.

0845-1030hrs: Plain Quarry to Trig, then Lancelot etc.
Several Speckled Wood and Small Heath Butterflies throughout Dalton. Found Lesser Trefoil on Ant Hill whilst going through Crags. Also when near "Line of Trees" had a party of six Crossbill fly in a South direction. Had a similar six party a few months ago over in Lancelot.
Checked out the new colony of "Hairy Rockcress" which lies just below and in the shadow of the line of trees and there is 49 flowers. Good colony of the Bugle flower just higher than the "line of trees". Several day flying moths "Speckled Yellow" flying about in Dalton upper. At one point had Lesser Whitethroat singing. Booked down one or two more Early Purple Orchids.

Crossing over into Lancelot, and crossing through to what I call "Arch Grove" just before you head directly down towards the BAP seat. Here I had six Green Hairstreak Butterflies feeding on the Crowberry/Bilberry leaf. A Garden Warbler calling from the area above the BAP seat and where you would cross over into Burton Fell. Also around here lots of very anaemic, sort of pinky lilact colour "Common Milkwort". On the pavements close to the side of the BAP seat there was a lovely colony of Angular Solomens Seal within the grykes, also the rare Rigid Buckler Fern.

Found a clump of ten of the rare Spring Cinquefoil further down in Lancelot.