Wilberforce Wood, Noddle Hill and Castle Hill with Hull Nats

A warm sunny day, I decide to do some dragonfly recording at Foredyke Green and Noddle Hill in the morning, and join Hull Nats visit to Castle Hill Farm in the afternoon. I take the bus to Kingswood and walk along Wilberforce Woods. A local kindly leads me to a striking metal sculpture in the woods I've been wanting to see for a while. There is an earthy ridge on the ground with the shape of a slave ship, and the statue is at the front. I would have never found it on my own!

The striking metal sculpture of an enslaved man. I have been unable to find any information online about it.

Butterflies

It is a great summer for butterflies, in stark contrast with last year's. Large White, Gatekeepers and Comma are particularly abundant, and Red Admirals follow closely behind. Ringlets, freshly emerged Peacocks and Meadow Browns are also about. I only find Small Skippers today. A total of 13 species were recorded.

A Gatekeeper basking early in the morning.

Small Skipper.

Large White nectaring on Creeping Thistle

Red Admiral.

Comma.

Peacock, showing its very dark underside.

Speckled Wood.

Holly Blue.

The biggest surprise of the day, a Purple Hairstreak who landed on a gate near Castle Hill mound, not a butterfly I come across very often! The curious thing is that we couldn't find many oaks around.

Grasshoppers and Bush-crickets

Five species were recorded, Roesel's Bush-cricket and Long-winged Conehead in several places, Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, Common Field Grasshopper and the last, with a single record, Speckled Bush-cricket on the eastern side of Noddle Hill.

Roesel's Bush-cricket.

Long-winged conehead, female nymph.

Adult female Speckled Bush-cricket.

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Twelve species recorded, aided by the warm conditions. A few damselflies at Foredyke Green pond, which was the earliest in the morning I visited. Things got more exciting at Noddle Hill, with Black-tailed Skimmers and a male and a female Banded Demoiselles at the pond-dipping pond. Ruddy Darters and Southern Hawkers were also around. As I was leaving, I spotted a Red-eyed Damselfly. Many Brown Hawkers were quartering the rides and footpaths everywhere, I flushed several, but I only managed a couple of record shots. The pond near the Trans-Pennine trail, which was created around a year ago, was wonderful (top shot) and kept us entertained for a long time. Male emperors patrolled whilst females oviposited. A couple of Four spotted chasers and plenty of Black-tailed Skimmers, enjoying the open ground of the pond margins. Overall, 12 species of dragonflies and damselflies. 

Black-tailed Skimmer.

Male Banded Demoiselle.

Female Banded Demoiselle.

Ruddy Darter.

A Southern Hawker at Dragonfly Alley at Noddle Hill.

Large Red Dragonfly at Noddle Hill.

Male Emperor.

Female Emperor ovipositing.

My record shot of a Brown Hawker.

Black-tailed Skimmers mating.

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Other than these groups there were a few further highlights. Three Hares off Noddle Hill was the largest number I've seen together

Yellow Water-lily at Holderness drain.

Naturalist in action on the new grasslands by a ditch.

Singing Linnet.

Terrapin at the pond-dipping pond at Noddle Hill.