Garden catch up - end of Summer 2015

As the weather has turned and the summer feels lost to this wind and heavy rain, I just wanted to take the opportunity to capture the garden highlights for the summer. All records new for garden [NFG].

A single male slow worm (Anguis fragilis) was present from May 12th to May 23rd. The month also produced moth records for light green apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana), and Esperia sulphurella.

June produced migrant moth sightings of Hummingbird hawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum), and yellow shell (Camptogramma bilineata). Whilst 14 spot ladybird (Propylea 14-punctata), made a welcome change from the usual Harlequin (Harmonia axyridis) numbers seen.

In July, small skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) was observed nectaring on red campion (Silene dioica) on the 17th, and a gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) arrived on the 31st.

The gatekeeper brought the garden total to 12 spp of butterfly, although an attempt to review the 2013 record of Essex skipper (in light of current learning, was inadvertently sabotaged when the original photo files were deleted by mistake!). A dodgy 12 but a solid 11 nevertheless!

August brought a confirmed record of common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) when two were observed foraging along the hedge-line.