Missions Impossible

My efforts to make something of the last days of summer haven't succeeded.

Developments in the garden have at least been interesting, if not particularly rewarding.  A couple of weeks ago, it was still possible to see the odd comma or small tortoiseshell on the buddleia but they have now absented themselves leaving the peacocks and some large whites to dominate, apart from a single red admiral doggedly appearing most days. During the patchy sunny spells, there can be up to ten peacocks at a time.  I haven't bothered snapping them repeatedly.  

In terms of bees, mainly carder and honeybees have visited, though the increasing occurrence of garden bumblebees continued until recently.

Garden Bumblebee

Elsewhere it really has been a bit of a blank.  

I did a ride to the Rising Sun Country Park hoping for some variety, but in spite of expansive meadowland, the best I could muster was a couple of whites and two commas on a hedgerow - so pretty disappointing.  There were a few dragonflies around but not settling. So the most interesting thing I observed was this couple near St Peter's.  They appear to have been conjoined at birth. 

Mercouple

A ride to the Havannah Reserve also proved fruitless as the hot spot for butterflies has now been totally covered in heather eliminating bird's foot trefoil, so no hope of small heath or small copper.  A lady dogwalker observed that the site has now been taken over by a mob called Urban Green who aren't maintaining it properly.   I noted that there was actually more vegetation (producing more peacocks) at the West end of the reserve.  The whole area is slowly being surrounded by housing anyway.

On Friday I sussed out a couple of meadows near Stella without result and cycled along the Tyne before deciding to ride along the Tyne for a last visit to the Spetchells.  There were a few green-veined white and about three speckled wood, which I noticed were of very small size, suggesting under nourishment.

At the Spetchells itself I had hoped for a last chance of a dingy skipper, which aspiration the almost total lack of bird's foot trefoil put an abrupt end to.  I saw one red-tailed bumblebee but was by deceived - a couple of imitators doing a credible job of apeing a sizeable wasp and a mining bee.

Drone Fly

Wasp Imitator

The one (of several others) hanging round the bee holes is some kind of drone fly and the wasp imitator looks like a thing called the yellow-barred peat hoverfly.  But on a chalky hill, who am I to say?

One good thing, since I've bemoaned their absence, was a showing of several speckled wood by the trees, looking a good bit healthier than the ones I'd seen earlier.

Speckled Wood

Yesterday was another hopeful trip to the Harthope Valley where colletes bees had recently been observed but all I managed was a few carder bees and honey bees amongst the diminishing heather.

Here the silver lining was that a single small tortoiseshell turned up while I was having a snack.

Small Tortoiseshell

I suppose all this activity was determined by the notion that the butterfly season had such a slow start that it might go on a little longer.  If anything it's finished slightly earlier and there are several species I just haven't seen at all this year.   On reflection, I might have seen more butterflies if I'd spent the time in the garden.