Hutchinson's Bank 02/06/21

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A very warm day though clouding over by 3 p.m. Parking was a bit of a nightmare, no doubt a reflection of the current popularity of the site.

The main purpose of the visit was to see Glanville Fritillary, reports indicating they had recently emerged in good numbers. The butterfly proved straightforward to find in the Cutting, the warden saying about 20 were present, mostly males at this stage. He said the stock originally came from the Isle of Wight about 10 years ago, and that they had been able to repay this by sending 60 pupae back some years later when the island population fell to a low level following a poor summer.

Less expected was a Marsh Fritillary, with two present though only one seen on the day. Other butterflies included many Small Blues, a Green Hairstreak, plus Common Blue, Dingy Skipper and first of year Speckled Wood.

A female Broad-bodied Chaser posed well on a fence post.

Glanville Fritillary

Glanville Fritillary 

Glanville Fritillary

Marsh Fritillary 

Marsh Fritillary 

Small Blue

Small Blue

Common Blue (female)

Common Blue egg-laying

The scrape

Broad-bodied Chaser


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