Lynchcombe Summer
Sheep – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR58439
Summertime on the Lynchcombe nature reserve. My favourite place at my favourite time of year!
Butterflies
I have carried on counting the butterflies across the year this year. It has been a mixed up year as a wet and cold spring got things off to a poor start. No speckled woods back in spring but finally they were out in numbers recently. Never saw any green hairstreaks, but these small butterflies are easy to miss.
A much better year for the marbled white. It was seen in record numbers.
Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR50350
In previous years I have counted meadow browns in their hundreds on a single walk around the reserve. This year they peaked around 50.
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR53953
Thistles had a good year.
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR53905
I think of brimstones as a spring butterfly, this year they did not appear until August. Then they did really well.
Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR52462
Same story with speckled woods.
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR53699
… and again for common blues.
Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR53852
Still lots of white butterflies around.
Large White (Pieris brassicae) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR52586
Silver-washed fritillaries had a good year.
Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR52545
Other Insects
It’s not all butterflies. I was excited to spot this hornet mimic.
Hornet mimic hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR54570
Sailor beetles had a brilliant year.
Sailor Beetle (Cantharis rustica) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK> ID BR58420
.. as did the small mint leaf beetles. But I saw far fewer swollen-thighed beetles this year.
Mint Leaf Beetle (Chrysolina menthastri) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID BR59695
Flowers
Hare bells enjoyed the weather, having a bumper year.
Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR52364
Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID BR52364
And finally…
Somerset Wildlife Trust continue to improve the reserve, undertaking a lot of clearance work.
Recent bracken clearing – Lynchcombe, Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID IMG_9468
