August

The meadows and woods a riot of colours; a good month for butterflies, moths and other invertebrates.

Peacock Butterfly, Aglais io, nectaring Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare.

Mint Moth, Pyrausta aurata, feeds and lays its eggs on Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare, on the Spetchells.

Treble Bar, Aplocera plagiata, on Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare, in the meadow.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, males emerge from their natal nests, feed up on nectar, and look for virgin queens.  They are not allowed back in the nest, so sleep and hide from rain under flower heads and leaves.

A Tiger Cranefly on Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster horizontalis.

Stripe-backed Fleckwing hoverfly, Dasysyrphus albostriatus, male nectars on Common Knapweed, Centaurea nigra.

A Common Toad, Bufo bufo, crosses the footpath.

Jarrow, Achillea millefolium, flowers in the meadow.