Season's Last Hurrah

The Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) has been providing me with some end of season excitement on Pevensey Levels this week.

 

 Essentially a migrant species, it arrives in the UK from the near continent in varying numbers most years. It is usually first seen in May and can produce home grown broods during August and October, depending on weather conditions. Over the last few days, I have watched lots of males quartering clover rich pastures in search of freshly emerged females with which to mate. I have also seen three females of the pale helice form which can account for about 10% of the female population. This form does not occur in the male.

 

 

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) (roosting male)  

 

 

 

Clouded Yellow (C.croceus) (mating, with helice female)

 

 

Clouded Yellow (C.croceus) (freshly emerged male on clover)

 

 

Clouded Yellow (C.croceus) (males)

 

 

Clouded Yellow (C.croceus) (mating pair)

 

 

Clouded Yellow (C.croceus) (helice female)

 

 

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) (female)

 

 

 

This Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) is the same female that was guarding her nursery web in my last post. Her spiderlings have now dispersed and she is enjoying some watery autumn sunshine.

 

Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) (female)  

 

 

 

 

Shaggy Inkcap (Coprinus comatus)

 

These three photographs are of the same fungus taken on three consecutive days.

 

 

Parasol Mushroom (Lepiota procera)

 

Beautiful Peacock

Walking on Pevensey Levels during the last week, there has been a definite end-of-season feel. Hedges have been cut, pasture meadows have been mown and the maize crop has been harvested.

 

The third brood of Wall (Lasiommata megera) is just peaking and fresh looking Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and Peacock (Inachis io) are fairly numerous.

 

For me, the Peacock is our most beautiful butterfly; its rich velvety plum colour together with metallic blue eye-spots make a stunning combination. Sometimes, extra spots appear on the hind wings (aberration diophthalmica).

 

 

Peacock (Inachis io) (male)

 

 

 

Peacock (I.io) (male) (ab.diophthalmica)

 

 

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) (female)

 

 

 

Pevensey Levels are very much an agricultural landscape, with sheep and cattle pastures dissected by ditches and water drains. At this time of year, many of the ditches become clogged with floating pennywort, an invasive water weed that needs to be raked out every winter. However, the pennywort does provide an excellent breeding habitat for the Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) and the cattle regularly graze upon it at the ditch edges.

 

The female plantarius in the photograph is guarding her nursery web near the middle of a ditch and out of reach of these curious cattle.

 

 

Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) (female at nursery web)

 

 

The season is also being reflected in the moth species that are starting to appear at the moth-trap in my Wealden garden. As well as some autumnal resident species, the star of the week was the appearance of a Delicate (Mythimna vitellina), a scarce annual migrant to the UK and a first record for my garden.

 

 

Delicate (Mythimna vitellina)

 

 

Autumnal Rustic (Eugnorisma glareosa)

 

 

Black Rustic (Aporophyla nigra)

 

 

Since recording my first Blue Underwing (Catocala fraxini) of the year a month ago, four more have appeared during the last week, three in one night. Whether they have emanated from a local breeding population or from a migration event is unclear but they have been appearing regularly at moth-traps across Sussex in recent weeks.

 

 

Blue Underwing (Catocala fraxini)

 

 

A second fraxini posed nicely for a photograph until the shutter was released, producing an image that will be familiar to many insect photographers!