Thursday, July 22, 2010

Great Britain: a few critters

No narrative.  Just photos.

Garden Tiger Moth (Arctia caja) catepillar

Wings closed - Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) along Nevern Estuary in Pembrokeshire, Wales

Small Heath (Coeronympha pamphilus) near Skomer Island

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) near Slimbridge

The Springwatch website offers a photo essay of some other butterflies found in England.  I had hoped to see a Peacock - but, no luck.

Out of focus  Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata), Minsmere RSPB 

Originally I identified this dragonfly as a Yellow-winged Darter.  I received a comment [below] from a Michigan friend, Allen Chartier, suggesting that the dragonfly above is Libellula quadrimaculata.  I used this website to try to make the identification.  Scroll to Family Libellulidae.  Libellula quadrimaculata does look better for this dragonfly.

Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens), photo by Cliff Young

Bombus sp. bumblebee, Minsmere RSPB

Rabbit in a cow pasture in Wales.  There is an overexplosion of rabbits  in Norfolk and Suffolk and perhaps elsewhere, too.

Red deer ? on Dunwich Heath

Roe deer at Minsmere RSPB

Land snail at Rutland Water

While I did briefly see a stoat as it ran across a road, I never did see a hedgehog.  I wanted very much to see a hedgehog, but this is best done at night.  In any event, it also seems they are in decline.

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