A Late Late Butterfly

 I had taken myself round town after picking my prescription up, no particular destination in mind but perhaps with a vague hope of spotting the jay that has been reported in the church gardens.

Secretive bird that it is, if it was around I didn't see it, but I've never seen so many squirrels in there, crashing through the fallen leaves, leaving food in caches, picking up food from others, and generally causing quicksilver mischief. 

It was as I left the park, going down some steps actually, a way I've never been before, where a kind chap pointed to the butterfly that was sunning itself on his wall and told me to take a picture. 

I don't know if he'd realised I was a nature spotter from the head in the air way I walked around the garden, or whether he just liked to point things out to people. But I was very grateful for him for giving me the heads up. Interesting thing to photograph are in short supply as we head into deep autumn. 

It was of course a red admiral, the species that hangs on longest into the colder months and indeed I've seen a specimen on Boxing Day one year. It was trying to warm itself up in the thin November sunshine and so was an easy subject to photograph. 

It wasn't the only insect to be sunning itself in a desperate attempt to get some warmth into its body. On one of the threatened sycamore trees by the library, there were large numbers of harlequin ladybirds sat in a low state of activity on the leaves. It appeared some of them were huddling away into wrinkles in the leaves, getting ready to hibernate. 

Blissfully unaware of the threat that tree is under. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 02.11.21

Red Admiral Studies

 There were no butterflies on the buddleia in the nature reserve, but there were many on the buddleia on the entrance to the office complex off the main road. 

Funny what nature does sometimes!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.09.21

Admirals and Gypsies

 Finally the weather has broken, and some refreshing light rain has emerged from the sky to refresh the plants a little. Suddenly knapweed and thistles of all kids have appeared, including stonking great purple musk thistles.

Gypsy cuckoo bumblebees seem to love these big thistles, most of them seemed to have one or in some cases two of the parasitic bumbles feeding away on top, drowning themselves in fresh pollen on a day thick with humidity as the thunderstorms approach. 

The butterflies of high summer, meadow browns and ringlets, have also made their appearance in the long grass of campus, but they are proving hard to photograph. But a red admiral put on a nice show for me today, albeit not wanting to show its gaudy wings to me. 

My hybrid bike has been taken for a few rides, collapsing seat tube and all - now fixed! - but I haven't got many exciting photos from these trips.

Bike goes like a bomb though

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCRackeredNature 17.06.21

Red Admiral Studies

The buddleias have come back into flower, and after a blank fortnight or so, butterflies are back feeding on them again.

But while peacocks were the dominant visitor in high summer, now autumn approaches it is the hardy red admiral who had settled in to the pink and purple blooms. These beautiful specimens were photographed on my moto g in my garden and on the millgate bridge buddleia.

Once again, I apologise for my mobile phone photographs. My Moto G LTE does not match up to the camera on my Orange San Diego, and thus I'm in the market for a decent budget compact camera.

Millgate Bridge Specimen

Red admirals just as beautiful on the underwing

Kissing the pink

Sun shining through

Park Life

(A one day delay on this report)

Decided to avoid running by the lake and through Beacon Hill reserve, and decided on a fine bright and pretty mild day, to head through Sconce Hills park and see what the people, and any wildlife might be doing.

I remembered sadly how not too long before I had seen swallows buzzing the football pitches, and another time seen massed groups of House Martins feeding themselves up before heading south. On this day the main life was provided by greater and lesser striped footballers - adults taking place in a casual training session it seemed, and then a bunch of young kids taking part in a proper match on the pitch next door.

I have to say, I love to see public spaces being used. That's why I love Brighton Lawns and promenade so much.

Was hoping to see if any birds were after any berries, but there didn't seem to be much of either in the orchard apart from a little vole I spotted running off from the base of a tree into the long grass!

I think the chilly near frosty night a few days ago has probably done for the dragonflies and red admirals.The dark is upon us.

Red Admiral Patrol

Inspired by the BBCAutumnwatch twitter feed having an impromptu little survey, I decided to head out and hit the roads and tracks in Newark to see if I could see any. In the warmer weather of ten to fourteen days ago I saw a few here, even in my garden area, and a few being blown about on Brighton Seafront, and blog readers will spot that I've been reckoning them to be the hardiest of our butterflies this year.

Well alas, I didn't see any, nor any whites desperately hanging on in. But it was a lovely afternoon, and I enjoyed my 7 mile trek through a brown and green Beacon Hill reserve, the little trees in the nursery being various shades of ochre through to cherry red in the leaf department, and still plenty of berries for the birds of which flocks of Chaffinch and a zupping flock of Long Tailed Tits by the Aldi bridge were most noticeable.

As I was running by at just before 5pm, the Starlings were gathering on TV aerials and as I ran along the far bank of the river the eager beavers were just aking to the air for the evening promenade by KFC and McDonalds. What Jonathan Livngstone Seagull would call Breakfast Flock, it it was morning and not evening, was also taking to the sky.