A lovely, still, golden morning, with temperatures already above 20 degrees and the gentlest of breezes rustling through the golden grasses in the meadows and sending streaks of thin, high cloud rolling slowly across a blue sky.
The meadows are alive with things that flutter, hop, scuttle and chirp – I can never resist getting down on my hands and knees to peer into this miniature jungle for a bugs-eye view! Above the flower-tops, lots of butterflies on the wing – Marbled Whites by far the most numerous, along with lots of Meadow Browns and striking red and black 6-Spot Burnet Moths. Large and Small Skippers whir between the tall flowers of Rough Hawkbit and Wild Carrot, with Large and Small Whites tumbling along a hedgerow and Gatekeepers guarding scrubbier areas.
Elsewhere around the Park, a Dark Green Fritillary- huge and orange soars across the Gully, where Lulworth Skippers are also on the wing. At the top of the Lighthouse Road, Speckled Woods dogfight of patches of dappled shade, with a pair of Red Admirals accidentally ‘flushed’ from the dog water bowl outside the Learning Centre as I approach!
Grasshoppers and Bush Crickets galore, with a Harvestman ‘spider’ spotted crossing a path in the meadows, carrying with her a shiny black section of beetle carapace – the remains of her breakfast? Plenty of the distinctive Bloody-nose Beetle lumbering mechanically across the grassland, while among the spines of towering Woolly Thistle, a 6-spot Ladybird munches on aphids, oblivious to the frantic Yellow Meadow Ant ‘farmers’ around her!
Last night’s moth trap is bursting with goodies, including Common and Rosy Footmen, lime green Common Emeralds, the elegant Swallowtailed Moth, Drinkers, Magpies, Heart and Darts and a huge and impressive Pine Hawkmoth.
Plenty of flowers to enjoy in the meadows and downs – nice to see a new patch of Vipers Bugloss has sprung up on area of disturbed ground, with it’s vivid blue and red flowers in a tall spike.