From July 2016 further updates are posted at the new site: "Michael Foley - Nature Notes"
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http://mfsnaturenotes.blogspot.co.uk/





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Orange-tips and Green-veined White at Brockholes nature reserve, Preston

May 16: 2015:
Views of upper and lower wing surfaces of male and female Orange-tips. Also, a male Green-veined White's upper surface.

Orange-tip (above), male Green-veined White (below)

Lesser Emperor

A Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) at Ezouzas, Cyprus (24.4.2015)

Cyprus - Larnaca salt lake but only very distant shots (24.4.2015) Also Eleonora's Falcon at Kensington Cliffs (26.4.15)

All feeding in the very shallow water

Avocets and Black-winged Stilts

Red-necked Phalaropes

Greater Flamingo

An Eleonora's Falcon at a distance of 600m+ flying across the shear Kensington Cliff face

Large Heaths and Beautiful Demoiselles in south Cumbria

June 16, 2014:

Large Heath on raised bog

Beautiful Demoiselle on Water Crowfoot

Small Blues and orchids on the north Cumbrian coast

June 14, 2014:

Pyramidal Orchid

Bee Orchid

Hybrid: Northern Marsh Orchid x Common Spotted Orchid

Whixall Moss, Shropshire

June 11, 2014 at Whixall Moss

White-faced Darters at Whixall Moss, a well-know site for this scarce British species

Four-spotted Chasers were frequent here

South Cumbria Spring butterflies

May 14, 2014:

Green Hairstreak at Foulshaw

Orange-tip at Foulshaw

Duke of Burgundy on Whitbarrow

Dingy Skipper on Whitbarrow

Cyprus - other invertebrates

April 29-May 5, 2014:

Many of the invertebrates were suffering because of the drought but a few found are shown here.

 

Crocothemis erythraea, male - Fassouri reed beds

 

Decticus albifrons - Ayia Varvara

 

Humming-bird Hawkmoth - Nikoklea

 

Oedipoda cf. miniata - Kidassi

 

 

Phoenicolacerta troodica -Polis

                                         

Volucella zonaria - Nikoklea

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    







Cyprus butterflies

April 29-May 5, 2014:

Not having had any rain during he winter everywhere was very dry and the dragonflies and orthoptera had especially suffered with numbers very low. Butterflies were reasonably frequent and several species were seen.

 

Brown Argus at Smygies

 

 Clouded Yellow - Polis

 

Cyprus Meadow Brown - Polis

 

Eastern Dappled White - Kensigton Cliffs

 

 

Grass Jewel, the smallest European butterfly at Kedares

 

Hermit - near Anarita

 

 

Long-tailed Blue - Smygies and Aspro dam

 

Lulworth Skipper - Kouklea

 

Millet Skipper near Kouklea

 

Swallowtail near Kouklea

 



Early Spring plants

March 2014: Some of the scarcer Spring plants are now in flower. By rivers in Wensleydale and south Cumbria, Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem (Gagea lutea) has now come into flower as has the parasitic Toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) which grows on the roots of hazel and other shrubs. Some photos of each are below.

 

 

 

Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem in south Cumbria

 

 

 

 

 

Toothwort by the River Kent