Butterflies
Yesterday morning the sun appeared and so we spent a happy hour observing two large buddleia bushes in full flower. We did two consecutive Big Butterfly Counts counts recording a satisfying total of 15 species and some 40 butterflies which was more than we expected given the iffy weather.

Of special note was a painted lady, a second brood brimstone and both large and small skippers. We saw 12 red admirals, a species which is having an extraordinary year with numbers up 400% nationally. By comparison, the numbers of other nettle-dependent species like the peacock, comma and small tortoiseshell remain low. 

Perhaps red admiral numbers have been boosted by migrants from the south – there’s so much to learn even about such well-studied insects.

A poor summer for swifts
The cold wet weather in recent weeks is having a serious effect on insect-eating species such as the swift and, no doubt, also the swallow and house martin too. Starving swift chicks, abandoned by their parents, are being taken to specialist carers in ever increasing numbers.

This is bad news for a species in steep decline and one where young birds don’t start breeding until they are at least three years old.

On Tuesday, I watched a passage of over 30 swifts flying south under overcast skies. They’d clearly had enough of our ‘summer’ and were setting off on their long migration to central Africa. Far larger numbers have been seen at the coast doing likewise.

Unwelcome New Zealander

Piri piri burr, a native of New Zealand, has been found up on the moors near Stanage Edge this week by Rod & Brenda Dunn.

This plant is highly invasive having seedheads with hooked spikes which attach themselves to boot laces and socks as well as sheep and rabbits etc. The Peak Park Authority has been informed and will hopefully root it out before it spreads any further.

The wonderful dune system at Holy Island National Nature Reserve in Northumberland is absolutely covered in it with no chance of ever eradicating it.

Fleeing the European drought and heat
The fact that we are seeing more southern European wetland birds appearing and even nesting in the UK is more down to their habitats drying up than to a genuine expansion of range. Species like the long-legged black winged stilt may soon become commonplace here but we welcome it with mixed feelings.

Three pairs have bred successfully in England this summer and I’m sure we’ll get sightings in this county before long.

Late season dragons and a new damsel
The ruddy darter and the migrant hawker are two dragonfly species which are on the wing in August.
The obliging darter, like is widespread relative, the common darter, has a habit of sitting on bankside plants allowing its waisted abdomen, black legs and pterostigma (the wing spots) to be seen.

The larger migrant hawker will perch if the sun goes in but hangs vertically when it does. Photo attached.
Rather similar to the southern hawker, it has blue marks along its abdomen and no green bands towards the end.

Again, the BDS website provides excellent help on how to identify Odonata: Identification Help - British Dragonfly Society (british-dragonflies.org.uk)

And a new species for the county, the beautiful demoiselle, was photographed recently at our Erewash Meadows Reserve.