Will the flowers be as good as last year?

Saturday 14 July 2012

A walk along the top of Great Dug Dale, which had impressed last year with a profusion of flowers, planted as a shelter break for the pheasants and partridges.  Only a short walk (the knees are improving though) but it seemed that there were other plans for this year, not many flowers in sight...

A pleasant walk on a bright day, and given an inch of rain on top of "The wettest June since..."  firm underfoot.  But a bit short, however, of the banks of flowers we had hoped for.

Quite unlike last year, when I took the following photos between the 30th June and  5th July...

Hundreds of Marbled Whites...

Meadow Brown...

Small Tortoiseshell, which are said to be in decline this year.  Given this summer I am not surprised.  Next year, given a fair chance from the summer, the farmers and the gamekeepers, I am sure they can make a comeback.  (I say the gamekeepers not because they go out and stalk and shoot butterflies (an interesting thought, though) but because of the cover crops for game birds that support so much wildlife.

Red-legged Partridge (aka French Partridge in these parts) watching on like a grumpy old man (leave that to me - ed)

I assume this is a day-flying moth, but no idea as to the identification...

Ditto...

More of the Marbled Whites...

The wheat was a bit further on, and attracting admirers..

But back to this year, there were still a few creatures of note which were worth recording...

Hover flies

A well fed bumble

It was lovely listening to the birds, even if none of them were obliging to this bad bird photographer.  Skylarks were an almost constant with chaffinch, goldfinch, yellowhammer and whitethroat all flitting and singing just out of sight and range.  A very pleasant walk.