The dodgy weather during the first half of the week meant that I didn't get out
until Thursday lunchtime. There was a decidedly autumnal feel (if it's not stating the obvious) and
the sun hadn't burnt off the previous night's dew despite a sunny
morning, such is its lack of strength in late October. Butterfly
activity was low and I saw only twenty in total (six species), as follows:
Large White 1
Small White 3
Speckled Wood 7
Red Admiral 6
Painted Lady 1
Comma 2
This week was the final week of the official survey season, but Dave usually continues surveying until butterfly activity settles down for the winter.
The
butterflies are now mostly confined to the sheltered footpaths and
areas with ivy still in blossom, but there are still opportunities to
find them when it's not too chilly. Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks
have probably already flown into the Fort's tunnels to overwinter and
my next surveying activity will be in mid-December when we make our
first winter count in the tunnels. Until then it's back over to Dave and
the Gang
to see what's still active above ground. At least it will take longer
for the ice cream to melt!
My attention will now
focus on collating all the data we've collected this year and compare
it with previous years. This will take some time but I am hoping to have
the year's results ready to share at the December meeting.
