Rain, rain and more rain, Great Tits nesting, butterflies amongst the Bluebells and a couple of sleepy lambs are amongst the week’s highlights in Unforgettabubble. Here is the week 14th – 20th May, 2017….in pictures.
The Dalby valley down to Thornton Dale can hardly be seen through the mist and rain
When it clears slightly, the trees wouldn’t look out of place in a Costa Rican rainforest!
Beech leaves drip for days….
….whilst spiders weave some strange shaped webs amongst the wet undergrowth
Eventually the solid rain makes way for intermittent showers towards the end of the week and the birds emerge again…
…and busily carry on feeding chicks and doing some essential cleaning!
Lambs are growing and looking very contented with mum…
…and the sign I made to prevent the mowing of a wildflower patch works!
Fly Orchids are beginning to flower on Ellerburn Bank Nature Reserve
…as Silver Y moths hide amongst the grasses and twiggy undergrowth trying to outwit me!
And a micro moth (as yet unidentified, please let me know if you know) goes a step further actually disguising itself as a twig
and a close-up view
Meanwhile on Seivedale Fen, the Green-veined White butterflies come out to play amongst the Bluebells and Stitchwort
It’s almost impossible to walk in the fen without stepping on these tiny froglets!
Meanwhile, Orange Tips make use of the newly emerged vetches on the village verges
And finally, having scoured the length and breadth my local patch for interesting moths, the most interesting turns up on a log in the garden outside the back door at Bubble HQ. Ethmia Quadrillella, a micro moth, has only been recorded a handful of times in the area. Who says you have to travel far and wide to discover new and interesting wildlife?!
