Tomsteads 22nd June 2021
by Rachel Isherwood - 23:06 on 22 June 2021
This is a busy time in the garden with lots of ‘visitors’. June and July are the top months for moths. Damsel and dragonflies are out in abundance on sunny days. Waterfowl are bringing up chicks on the ponds (with varying degrees of success). Here are just a few of our summer visitors.
Two hawk moths - Elephant and Small Elephant.
The Cinnabar is often seen flying in the daytime but alsocomes to the light trap.
Azure and Large Red damselflies have been around the garden for several weeks.
The Beautiful Demozel breeds in running water but there have been more than usual about the garden this year. They are a lot bigger than the Azures and Reds and have a curiously floppy, uncoordinated way of flying, rather like butterflies.
By contrast, these two dragonflies, the Four Spot Chaser and Emperor, fly very fast and direct. The Chasers dash from place to place, frequently hovering and engaging in furious aerial battles.
Emperors are the biggest dragonflies we get here and are very territorial - just one or two to a pond.
On the bird front, the kingfisher has been a frequent visitor lately, and the moorhens still have a couple of chicks.
Lots of deer browse, graze and pass through, usually overnight but this female was in the front field at midday. Here she is, startled by the click of the door latch and about to dash away.
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