A walk to Snuff Mill Lane via Setting Dyke and Children's Wood

 I had an impromptu walk to Snuff Mill Lane this morning to try and see the local hairstreaks. Both White-letter and Purple Hairstreak have been recorded in recent weeks in a short stretch of the lane, so I thought I would give them a try. 

The weather was cloudy, but very warm, and there were a surprising number of active butterflies on the way so I did several lists. It was nice for a change to have the skippers roosting on flowers or grass stems, which allows for much faster checking. No Essex Skippers today.

View of the Setting Dyke path.

The Setting Dyke was running very low, with the level the lowest I've seen. Has it been dry before?

A family of ducks had to walk on the ballast under the train line.

Young Robing having a bath on the dyke.

And a watchful Robin nearby.

The nettles at the sides of the dike were covered on Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars. A wasp came over and grabbed one

Young Dunnock with a moth.

Young Greenfinch.

Gatekeeper.

Nursery Web spider guarding her nursery.

'Children's Wood' is another 'railway triangle' a woodland with the Scarborough line on the west, the Setting Dyke on the south, and the houses off Cropton road on the east.

The entrance to Children's wood

A path through the woods.

As you emerge on the north side of the wood, there is a cycle path parallel to the railway line. There is a strip of semi-natural vegetation and large trees where many Ringlets and Green-Veined Whites were active. Finally, at the end of the path, on the boundary of the city, the path disappears amongst a wilderness, the first field of the area I know as Snuff Mill Ln fields. This particular field is flooded in the winter, and the path is overgrown with brambles and nettles. I know it is not long to a rise and clear path, and I persevere.

A large stand of Meadow Sweet

Gatekeeper.

This Holly Blue was collecting salts by the edge of the Priory Cemetery pond.

The railway pond is bone dry.

Nice to see a Reed Bunting singing from tree at Snuff Mill main field.

Main field.

Another calm Small Skipper.

I saw this ladybird, although it has 7 spots it looks too long for a 7spot, resembles more an 11 spot

I finally get to the railway line and have a long look for White-letter Hairstreaks on the elm just west of the line. No movement other than bees. Helpfully, a Speckled Wood patrols the tree up and down, I wonder if it would have enticed a WLH to chase it, but no luck.

Speckled Wood.

Elm leaves.

I see my 1st pristine new generation Peacock, but too fast for photos. On the way back I check the oak that holds the Purple Hairstreak population. I am not very optimistic, but two silvery tiny butterflies fly around the branches, Purple Hairstreaks! I lose track of them and no photos for me, but still a nice sighting for the day.

Noddle Hill, Midmeredales and Foredyke Green in July

 I took the bus to Kingswood Asda and started my walk there. A very hot sunny day, I felt a trip to Foredyke Green Pond and Noddle Hill to do dragonfly surveys was overdue. First, I walked through Wilberforce Wood/Midmeredales area. The woodland felt lovely and cool, and the rides and grassland were teeming with butterflies. 

Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and a Whitethroat sung. I was slowed down by checking Small Skippers, but there were no surprises today.

Speckled Wood.

Small Skipper on Creeping Thistle.

Small Skipper on Great Knapweed. There were several patches of this plant, combined with Lady's Bedstraw.

Small Skipper and Leafcutter on thistle.

A ride as it crosses a ditch.

Meadow Brown.

The Midmeredales pond had low water levels in early June but now it was completely dry.

Foredyke Green Pond

I anticipated visiting the Foredyke Green pond. I've had some wonderful sightings there, what would expect me today? There!

A Broad-bodied Chaser male! just when I thought I had missed them for the year! The pristine male was mostly sitting on the rushes and avoiding the resident Emperor. The effect of its very reflective pruinosity made it look like a beacon when it flew, favouring the side of the pond with short rushes. The pond today had a lot of Potamogeton cover. A Brown Hawker was also patrolling.

Damselflies included Blue-tailed Damselfly, with several colour morphs and a mating pair. There were also ovipositing Azure Damselfly.

Azure Damselfly.

Mating Blue-tailed Damselflies. Note the female is the androchrome form that has the same colours as male.

Common Darter, the only one I saw today.

The violacea form of female Blue-tailed Damselfly, stunning!

Male Ruddy Darter.

A Willow emerald flew around the apple tree over the bench, I had a clear look at the body proportions and colour, there was no mistaken it! Unfortunately it flew right under and inside the tree disappearing from view. They have been very early everywhere this year.

Brimstone.

Noddle Hill LNR
I had planned originally to walk along the Foredyke Stream to the pumping station, but the path hadn't been mowed and it has hard going with the heat now draining my energy quite fast, so half-way through I moved into the reserve. On the way I flushed a number of Brown Hawkers from the streamside vegetation. Birds were quite subdued, possibly due to the heat and the fact that is wasn't very early, so I headed for the lake and pond-dipping pond to check for dragonflies.

The main character of the day were Black-tailed Skimmers, males on their fishing platforms and marginal vegetation, with much chasing.

The number 14 Black-tailed Skimmer.

Female Black-tailed Skimmer egg-laying.

The distinctive egg sacs of Tetragnatha spiders.

A record shot of a pair of Black-tailed Skimmers mating, subsequently, the females started laying.

After checking the lake shores for a while I moved onto the ditch that is the best for Emerald in the whole of Hull. Water levels were very low, I had to walk though the reeds for a couple of meters, but I was rapidly rewarded by a male Emerald Damselfly, which darted to chase another male and then both disappeared from view. Two Ruddy Darters were also by the ditch.

Male Emerald Damselfly.

Ruddy Darter.

Most damselflies were Common Blue.

An uncooperative terrapin in the pond-dipping pond. A local told me two had been seen in this pond and one on the main lake.

I had to take a rest in the shade so I had an early lunch on the picnic tables by the feeding station. Shortly after a young Robin paid a visit and was happy to get quite close to get some walnut bits.

Young Robin.

Hull Railway Triangles: KC stadium triangle in June

I was at this site a few days ago, it looked fantastic, with plenty of flowers, but the morning was cloudy and cool. I planned a visit for a sunny morning for a butterfly count, and today was the day, sunny, warm and with barely a breeze all day. It was already quite hot at 8 am, with plenty of butterflies on the wing.

The view to the south west.

Near the western corner of the triangle.

Looking to the east with Hull Royal Infirmary in the horizon.

The grassland was a riot of flowering Field Scabious, knapweed, Ragwort and Creeping Thistles (top shot). There has been some tree planting with plastic guards but the trees haven't done so well. It is such a shame to convert this beautiful grassland into a wood! This type of habitat is often dismissed as 'rough ground' or 'waste ground', but they are a rare habitat, especially in the city, and they are biodiversity rich. There are rabbits on the site, and they contribute to maintaining the grassland. Some of the paths are mowed, which maintains access, but I'm not sure of any other management. 

Agrimony, Agrimonia eupatoria.

Butterflies galore!

The east and west side of the triangle fall in different km2 and I try and do two butterfly counts. It proves tricky to keep track of all butterflies though! There are so many that some of my species counts would be gross underestimates, especially whites and skippers that need closer examination to determine species, but also ringlets as there so many bobbing about.

Ringlet on Creeping Thistle.

 I'm trying to pay especial attention to skippers, as I had another Essex Skipper yesterday at the Amazing Community Garden and I wonder if they are much more widespread than believed. I don't make a lot of headway, there are dozens of skippers chasing about, they are very active and hard to approach, the light also is very harsh and I'm finding it tricky to get any photos of them sitting and from the right angle. Eventually I manage a few photos, two individuals are Small Skippers, but then, bingo an Essex Skipper! 

Small Skipper.

Small Skipper. Note the brown underside of the antennae tip.

Two views of the Essex Skipper feeding on Field Scabious. This is the diagnostic face-on view of the antennae, showing the black tip.

Green-veined White.

A Cinnabar Moth.

Large White.

Small Tortoiseshell.

Meadow Brown.

Linnet on Giant Hogweed.

Bird highlights included Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Greenfich. A flock of Goldfinches fed on thistle, with the first clumps of thistle down floating in the air. 

On the way back, near the entrance, a large leaf-cutter is feeding on a thistle flower. 

Megachile sp. on thistle.