A nice Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages, on Fackenden Down - I wish I'd found my own, but very gratefully received anyway! This is a butterfly in trouble nationally, and I've only seen a very few, and only singles at any one time. It might be worth repeated visits to try to hit the peak.
Its not at all bad patterning when you get up close. I like the abdominal edging and the antennal stripes. This one might be a male (left hand forewing):
Its quite a hairy butterfly on the underside - I wonder if that helps it to collect warmth from the ground?
And this is a slightly better view of the underside of the wing:
This species lives in fairly small colonies, say of 50 adults at peak flight time, and is relatively sedentary, a few individuals flying perhaps a few km from the original colony. Meta-populations may not remain very effectively linked as habitats become increasingly fragmented and distant. The species is a priority species on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus is the usual foodplant in all habitats. Horseshoe Vetch Hippocrepis comosa is also used on calcareous soils, and Greater Bird’s-foot-trefoil L. pedunculatus
is used on heavier soils.
Eggs are laid singly on young leaves of the foodplants and females choose the longest shoots of large plants growing in sheltered situations. The larvae hide in tents formed by spinning the leaves of the foodplant together and feed through the summer months. When fully grown, each larva spins more leaves together to form a hibernaculum in which to spend the winter. Pupation occurs the following spring in the hibernaculum, without further feeding.
It was great to see the cowslips, Primula veris, out
The dark blue of the Germander Speedwell, Veronica chamaedrys
Its not at all bad patterning when you get up close. I like the abdominal edging and the antennal stripes. This one might be a male (left hand forewing):
Its quite a hairy butterfly on the underside - I wonder if that helps it to collect warmth from the ground?
And this is a slightly better view of the underside of the wing:
This species lives in fairly small colonies, say of 50 adults at peak flight time, and is relatively sedentary, a few individuals flying perhaps a few km from the original colony. Meta-populations may not remain very effectively linked as habitats become increasingly fragmented and distant. The species is a priority species on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus is the usual foodplant in all habitats. Horseshoe Vetch Hippocrepis comosa is also used on calcareous soils, and Greater Bird’s-foot-trefoil L. pedunculatus
is used on heavier soils.
Eggs are laid singly on young leaves of the foodplants and females choose the longest shoots of large plants growing in sheltered situations. The larvae hide in tents formed by spinning the leaves of the foodplant together and feed through the summer months. When fully grown, each larva spins more leaves together to form a hibernaculum in which to spend the winter. Pupation occurs the following spring in the hibernaculum, without further feeding.
It was great to see the cowslips, Primula veris, out
The dark blue of the Germander Speedwell, Veronica chamaedrys
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