September 2023
4th September 2023 - (Monday, Hétfő)
I thought all of the water would be gone, but ... not yet ! Still a few Odonata about, and the first two Swallowtail caterpillars were 'upstairs'.
13th September 2023 - (Wednesday, Szerda)
Very hot and sunny for my short visit. After several dry days it now seems that the SQ is now completely dry. However, due to the lengthy period that the site had water, it's hoped that 2023 was a very successful amphibian breeding year. Most of the butterflies were too fast today, but I believe that I saw the valezina form of the Silver-washed Fritillary (photos 3 and 4 in the gallery). Also seen: Wall Brown, Meadow Brown, Common Blue (males), Small White, Small Heath, Small Copper, and Large Skipper = 8 species. A Praying Mantis flew past me and landed in a nearby bush, enabling some nice images. A male Ruddy Darter persisted in The Bowl despite the lack of water. The two Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars, photographed last time, had vanished from the food plants ... probably picked-off by sharp-eyed birds.
28th September 2023 - (Thursday, Csütörtök)
An afternoon visit to check the condition of the site and to see what was present. Despite some quite heavy rain locally over the weekend, a return to 'relentless Sun' meant that the SQ remained dry, apart from some dampness in the reedbed area. I was surprised to see so many butterfly species present, and even more surprised to see several species of Odonata (still to be identified!). As I walked down from the top entrance to the lower level, something fairly large jumped across my path and into a small bush on the right side of the path. I thought it was a large bush-cricket, but, looking closer, I found it was a juvenile Green Lizard! Among the butterflies recorded were: Green-veined White, Small White, Small Heath, Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Common Blue male, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Grayling, Brown Argus, and Wall Brown = 9 species.