Autumn / Lynchcombe

Lynchcombe Steps

by Jeff Bevan · Published 16th September 2016 · Updated 12th October 2016

In the middle of September when the hot summer days of August are still in our minds we suddenly find ourselves in autumn. During a walk around Lynchcombe I discovered that the berries and brown colours had already arrived.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 807_9701

Comma

At this time of year most of the delicate spring and summer butterflies have long gone. Whats left are the big ones, the ones that hang around all year in hidden corners waiting to re-appear on the occasional days when the sun comes out .

Today, there were several Comma and Red Admiral butterflies on Lynchcombe. The Commas were feeding on the blackberries while the admirals were higher up feeding on the ivy.

Comma (Polygonia c-album) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. id 807_9934

Comma (Polygonia c-album) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. id 807_0013

The white comma on the underside of the Comma butterfly.

Comma (Polygonia c-album) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. id 807_9856

Red Admiral

The Comma butterflies were easy to photograph. In contrast, the admirals were really hard. They had warmed up and quickly flew high into the trees each time I approached.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 807_0080

Bare Patches

This summer several patches of bracken were cleared from the grasslands. These bare patches, containing just the dried remains of the bracken fronds, offered hot spots for insects to perch and warm-up.

The bare patches were the favourite resting spots for Common Darters and Small Coppers. The coppers had been elusive this year, not appearing in my transect records. It was good to see several on these bare patches of ground. They were looking a bit worst for wear so I had clearly missed them during my transect walks!

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 807_0077

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 807_0118

Extras

Many bright yellow hoverflies were still around.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and a Hoverfly (Syrphidae) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 807_0103

And Finally..

It was nice to see a few flowers. Some yellow tormentil plus a couple of unexpected white flowers on the steep sides of the combe – hare bells and self heal.