Like yesterday, an early start with the temperature over 20°C by 09:00. Bright sunshine and only a light breeze too, but butterfly numbers were no better than yesterday. Brimstone still dominated, but there has been a dramatic increase in Small Blue (Cupido minimus) numbers (I stopped counting at 10). There were a few Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) on the woodland paths, with just a single sighting each of Common Blue, Brown Argus and Holly Blue.

At one point I came face to face with a fox that stopped dead in its tracks as it crossed the path just ahead of me, but before I could even think of lifting the camera it had turned and retreated the way it came.

I’ve heard a lot of Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) calling the past few days and finally got a good view of one this morning, sadly in dappled light on the woodland floor and even though it was probably close enough to try and get a photo the light would not have been up to it. I did, however, manage a good ID shot of one of the summer visitors, a Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis), and a rather fearless Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) let me get to within five paces.

Insects and spiders photographed included 2 craneflies, the distinctively green-eyed Black-striped Cranefly (Tipula vernalis) on bramble (Rubus sp.) and Tiger Cranefly (Nephrotoma flavescens) on Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), 3 beetles, Variable Longhorn Beetle (Stenocorus meridianus) on Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), Black-striped Longhorn Beetle (Stenurella melanura) on a Sweet Briar (Rosa rubiginosa) flower and Common Sun Beetle (Amara aenea) on Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), 2 bumblebees, White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum agg.) on Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) on Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), a sawfly, Red-thighed Macrophya (or Dewberry Strider) (Macrophya rufipes) on bramble (Rubus sp.), and a spider, a Banded Comb-footed Spider (Anelosimus vittatus) on its web on an Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).

The alternative name Dewberry Strider for the Red-thighed Macrophya sawfly refers to European Dewberry (Rubus caesius), which is but one of the many species I lump together as Rubus sp. as it is only when the fruits are forming that one can differentiate the dewberry from the many species of Blackberry (Rubus fructicosus agg.) amongst which it grows.

Wildflowers noted for the first time this season were White Campion (Silene latifolia), Goat’s-beard (Tragopogon dubius) and Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor).

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