Whilst wandering the other week I noticed the large number of Butterflies around this manhole cover at Newburn Riverside Indusrial Park which include three male and two female Common Blue. I made a return trip yesterday and no Blues but hundreds of Six Spot Burnet Moth. There were fifty in a three meter radius around the cover plus twenty Meadow Brown and a dozen Small Skipper. Nearby there were a further thirty next to the path and around the corner over one hundred on a patch of flowers barely five square meters in area. If I'd had time to survey the whole area the figures would have been enormous and that in between heavy rain deluges.
Quite an inauspicious spot for a nature reserve but this apparently barren area awaiting development can often spring surprises.
Landing clearance was a bit of a problem with the numbers of moths on each flower head and altercations were frequent although the little orange insects didn't seem to mind.
I tried to get a shot of the bright red underwing which is so noticable when they are in flight but need a faster camera or trigger finger methinks.
Meadow Browns were also so numerous that sharing was the order of the day.
The only dragonfly of the day tucked away next to the ponds on the north boundary. Excellent habitat for them but not ideal for getting close. Four spots not six I think.
Looks like that area has a good variety of wild flowers for the insects.
ReplyDeleteNothing very unusual. Just what you'd expect in scrubland so why the concentrations of moths I don't know.
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