Having a Flutter or Two

With the recent unseasonally hot afternoons I have actually seen a few butterflies.
In fact Lincolnshire recorded the highest temperature in the UK today.
It was some 6C above the seasonal average at around 23C. Alas it's not going to last.

A Red Admiral was good enough to pose on the Ivy



A Comma settled on one of the hanging baskets





Yesterday a Small Copper was feeding on a Dandelion in the back garden but its behaviour was more typical - flying off just as I got it in focus. At least the somewhat overgrown grass was dry enough for me to give it a trim. My garden is not what I would call large but my phone, which was in my pocket, indicated that I walked half a mile while mowing the grass.

Comma Butterfly

There was just one solitary Comma among the scores of wasps on my Ivy today

Last Flutters Before Winter

While the Sun was beaming down on the Ivy there was a sudden rush of insect visitors. Bees, wasps, a whole variety of flies and several pristine looking Red Admirals:



Also spotted was the occasional Comma:



Apart from Cabbage Whites which have been seen in abundance for months I have rarely seen a butterfly all Summer. The same went for Bumble Bees. I have seen far fewer this year. I did read a short while ago of one possible reason. Apparently there are fewer bees, wasps and some other insects this year as last Winter was too mild for them. Yes, too mild. They need cold enough temperatures during the Winter months to force them into hibernation otherwise they use too much energy whilst awake with few or no food plants to provide nourishment.

Comma Butterfly and Tiny Black Bugs

On one of our walks down the lane something bright orange stood out amongst all the greenery:



For once it didn't fly away as I gradually crept closer to get a better shot:



A pristine Comma Butterfly.


On our way back home as we passed one large bush covered in bright yellow flowers I could see it was surrounded by hundreds of tiny black insects flying around and covering many of the flowers:





The next day I saw some of the same bugs investigating my yellow marigolds.





In spite of getting some closer shots I haven't yet managed to identify these 2mm long beetles which seem to ignore all other colours of flowers. These usually appear every year, normally around harvest time.

Many thanks to Adrian of Adrian's Images for identifying the Pollen Beetles.

The Only One

I used to see quite a few Comma butterflies but this year I have only spotted this one when it stopped for a while in the garden a few days ago:



I am sure the reduction in numbers is connected with the cutting down of nettles around the edge of the cricket field for the past few years. These are the usual feeding plant for the larva. I fail to see why the nettles are cut down after the cricket season has finished when they could be left through the Winter.

Once again the damp, cooler weather has seen a local outbreak of the dreaded finch disease. So far I have seen two Greenfinches and a Goldfinch succumb to it. That means I have had to reduce the number of feeders and the amount of food I put out. That is a pity as there had been upwards of a dozen Goldfinches visiting each day but now there is just the odd one.

Wings for Wednesday - Those Goldfinches and a Comma

 Really bustling activity at the Birdy Bistro this morning.







 



 To finish with, a Comma Butterfly which actually waited while I got the mobile phone near enough for a decent shot.