Last but one transect

Monday's transect was our penultimate of this CV19-clipped season. The day's forecast was for good weather and we started our walk around just as the early low cloud started to let the sun through to raise the lowish temperature. We walked the route in reverse sequence in order to give Fames Rough a better chance to warm up. We'd walked from Section 12 to Section 6 (Harholt Plantation) before we saw our first butterfly and it was in Fames Rough that we saw most of today's count. The Meadow Browns that we have relied upon to boost our figures over the season were down to only 3 today.  Top of our count list were the Common Blues, 19 (mainly females) were recorded. We also saw a late season Clouded Yellow.

Here are the count details:
19 Common Blue
  3 Meadow Brown
  3 Small Heath
  2 Speckled Wood
  1 Brimstone
  1 Clouded Yellow
  1 Comma
  1 Small Copper
  1 Small White
 Total: 32 butterflies from 9 species.
Click on butterfly names for more info.

Survey by Graham H, Brian Gardner and Roger Vye ​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Report and pics by Brian G. 
​Click on pics to enlarge.

Female Common Blue

Delicious-looking but deadly: nightshade berries