Lynchcombe / Update

Lynchcombe Steps

by Jeff Bevan · Published 3rd June 2017 · Updated 7th June 2017

A chance to catch-up on my weekly butterfly transect around the Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Lynchcombe nature reserve. It was a cold start to the day, a time when even the flies are trying to get warm in the sun.

Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga carnaria) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 822_3122

Butterfly Transect

The transect is a walk around the nature reserve. It is divided into 8 sections which cover most of Lynchcombe. I record the number of each of species of butterfly I see in each section and send the results off to Butterfly Conservation. Its also a way of checking on the reserve in my role of volunteer warden.

The transect survey is done once a week from March to October. The weeks start on the same date each year. If in one year the week starts on Tuesday the next year the same week will start on Wednesday.

This year the weeks start on Saturday. This is the worst day for me because I typically do the transect on a Friday or Saturday. So it is all to easy to miss a week or do two visits in the same week.

This Week

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 821_3169

Today the sun was out but the grass was still very wet. So most of the butterflies I saw were still warming up on the leaves of trees and hedges such as these speckled woods.

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 821_3185

But not this one who preferred the ground.

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 821_3379

The usual suspects were about.

Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 822_3324

Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 822_3354

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 822_3220

Then as the morning warmed up a few small heath butterflies appeared at the top of the reserve.

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 822_3421

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 822_3516

Nursery Web Spiders

Of course, its not all about butterflies. I do not have much time for spiders and they are not everyones cup of tea. I have seen some properly dangerous ones when walking through the outback of Australia. I do know that all those in Somerset are harmless to volunteer wardens. So I had to include a spider picture one day and today is that day.

Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 822_3284

The spider was deep in the grass where the early morning dew was still to lift. She has built a silk tent, the nursery web, to protect her spiderlings. They will be safe in there for a few days. During this time she will stay close.

And Finally…

Back on safer ground to finish on some flowers. Dog rose is all over Lynchcombe and today it was looking perfect.