Purple photo-bomb

When Tania found this purple Emperor she was photo-bombed by her smaller brother.

Streaking

A few excellent Purple Hairstreaks over the past few weeks. thanks to the MG for the site information … spot on.

Odd one

Scarce white form of Early Marsh Orchid.

Southward bound

A big movement of Swift South the other day. Marvellous birds.

Not for Human Eyes

High in the canopy, on sunny days in early July, there is a dance taking place. A dance of love. A swirling ballet of courtship.

Like all dancers, even these tiny 15mm ones, they must sustain themselves. So down the dark little waifs fall with their straws to sip at the bramble bar. Replenishing spent energy for the next performance. As they do so their livery becomes apparent. Not meant for human eyes, daintily embroidered colours transfix us, stripy stockings, sulphur dipped antennas and small tails edged in frosty copper; finished with stitched chalked lines.

Even when nectaring these dancers still pirouette like music box ballerinas. Evolution can be mind bogglingly beautiful.

Feeding and Fledging

Feeding and fledging at its height now. Skylark on the cliff-top and Jackdaw in the village pub garden here in West Runton.

Fen Mason Wasps

A good year for Fen Mason Wasps. I photographed these a few weeks ago before they had started to build their distinctive ‘nests’. Perhaps I’ll go back a little later and photograph the burrows.

Invader

The only place in Norfolk I know of where this Hottentot Fig is growing in the wild. Great care is needed here. We could end up with acres of this introduced alien along the cliffs if this patch isn’t uprooted. It would only take a winter storm to spread this far and wide. There are orchids a plenty along the cliffs here that will be smothered if this happens. You only have to look at Winterton South Dunes to realise what a detrimental difference quick growers like ‘Russian Vine’ can make.

Sly guy

We’ve been seeing more foxes locally since lockdown. This one was stalking blackbirds along the field edge … but they were having nothing of it.

A buzz seeing orchids

Looking for Bee Orchids this month didn’t go well. I searched a couple of the usual spots locally, without any luck. I didn’t want to travel far given travel is still ‘essential-only’ but I wanted to show Tania these marvelous little creations. Good friend Tony, my best man when Tania and I married, is my orchid go-to reference. He had found a few spikes just down the road so following his excellent directions we came across a dozen or so spikes. Searching the cliff face we also found a few more too. One even being visited by a bee!