Lynchcombe Steps

As summer days are drawing in and as autumn approaches I hope we get a few more weeks of warm weather.

Lynchcombe – Somerset, UK. ID lynchcombe_pan17

Butterflies

Another weekly butterfly transect around Lynchcombe.  Every week there are new surprises.

Small Copper (Lycaeena phlaeas) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. 823_2281

The small coppers matched the colour of the dead bracken.

Small Copper (Lycaeena phlaeas) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. 823_2300

Good news, brown argus butterflies are back on Lynchcombe.  They probably never went away but the last one I saw on the reserve was back in 2014.

Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 803_5180 back in 2014.

A pair of brown argus were looking pretty fresh especially this male.

Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 823_2338

Small heaths are still lying around in the sun.

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 823_2449

Speckled woods are around in large numbers following the new batch a couple of weeks ago.

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 822_2243

Shield Bugs

These are my new interest.  My best guess is that this is a red-legged shield bug nymph.

Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 823_2263

Southern Hawker 

Hawkers are still flying around the reserve.  I took a long time to see one settle for a photograph.

Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 823_2223

Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 823_2223

And Finally…

Its been a fabulously sloe start to autumn.

Sloe berries on Blackthorn – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID 823_2247