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Felmersham Gravel Pits

24th July 2026

We have not visited Felmersham Gravel Pits much this year, so a sunny but not too hot day saw the first summer visit of 2026. There was lots to see and the Knapweed was in full bloom.

A brown Ringlet Butterfly is resting on a leaf with its wings closed showing the circular cream bordered black spots with white centres that are positioned close to the edge of the wings.
A pale yellowish brown Ruddy Darter is sitting on a cluster of small under ripe berries.
A bright blue Azure Damselfly with black markings is resting on a leaf.
A white Butterfly possibly a Green Veined White is feeding on a purple thistle like Knapweed flower.
A metallic green with cream undersides female Willow Emerald Damselfly is on a thorny near vertical branch.
A long and slender male Emerald Damselfly mostly dark metallic green apart from his eyes which are bright blue and the greyish blue on the tip of his abdomen and around the thorax.
A brown and orange Gatekeeper Butterfly is enjoying a bright purple Knapweed flower.
A bright red male Ruddy Darter is resting on a sunny leaf.
A pale brown Meadow Brown Butterfly with frayed edges to its folded wings is feeding on a Knapweed flower.
A male Emerald Damselfly viewed from above showing the blue eyes and dark metallic green body with blue gray tip to the abdomen and around the thorax.
A male Emerald Damselfly with blue eyes a dark metallic green body and blueish grey thorax and tip to his abdomen.
A Common Blue Butterfly with folded wings is enjoying a Knapweed flower.
A bright yellow Fleabane flower is the source of nectar for this small slender black and yellow Hoverfly with brownish red eyes.
A Painted Lady Butterfly with open wings showing mostly orange colouration with dark brown to black markings and a little white is feasting on a Knapweed flower.
A metallic turquoise green male Banded Demoiselle is perched on a pale green leaf.


A Ringlet Butterfly, this was the only one that seemed to stop still for long enough to take a photograph

A brown Ringlet Butterfly is resting on a leaf with its wings closed showing the circular cream bordered black spots with white centres that are positioned close to the edge of the wings.





Lings

6th July 2026

It is a long time since I last visited Lings Nature Reserve. It is very close to us and due to fly tipping has not got parking for visitors. Lings is essentially mixed woodland with clearings and an old house in the middle which serves as offices for the Wildlife trust. I enjoyed my walk in the woods with just local dog walkers for company

A black and pale yellow male Scorpion Fly with his red scorpion like tail is taking a quick break on a dark green shaded fern frond.
A large pale green Common Green Shieldbug Nymph is exploring a shaded fern frond.
A Red Longhorn Beetle with black body and yellowish brown elytra is resting on a sun dappled frond of fern.
A plump bright lime green Speckled Bush Cricket with unfeasibly long white and black banded antennae is inspecting a brown umbellifer seedhead.
A distinctive yellow and black 14 Spot Ladybird is exploring a fern frond.
A cluster of bright yellow Ragwort flowers is hosting a golden yellow and black Hoverfly.
A glossy orange and black banded Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar is feeding upside down on a leaf of the Ragwort plant.
A medium sized slender Common Red Soldier Beetle mostly a glossy reddish brown but with a wide black tip to its wing cases is feeding on Ragwort flowers.
A Painted Lady Butterfly with folded wings is feeding on bright yellow ragwort flowers.
A golden yellowish brown Common Darter Dragonfly is perched on the seed head of a sun lit grass plant.
A pale brown Gatekeeper Butterfly with folded wings is feeding on some pale pink Blackberry flowers.
A Small Skipper Butterfly is feeding on the purple thistle like flowers of Knapweed.


A Scorpion Fly taking a breather on a shady fern

A black and pale yellow male Scorpion Fly with his red scorpion like tail is taking a quick break on a dark green shaded fern frond.





Our Wildlife Garden

30th June 2026

Here are the second batch of June photographs. It was a very exciting month, we have a large number of Southern Hawker Dragonflies emerging from the pond, sometimes just one a day and on other days three or four.

A large black Hoverfly which apart from its large eyes could easily be mistaken for a Bumblebee.
A long slender Toothed Tiger Ichneumon Wasp with vibrant black and yellow thorax abdomen and legs.
Common Yarrow flowers are hosting a long slender Black and Yellow Longhorn Beetle which is unsurprisingly black and a pale yellow in colour.
A small slender yellow and dark brown overfly with large crimson eyes is resting on the edge of a Honesty flower seed pod.
A violet blue Viper's Bugloss Flower is serving up lunch to a delightful brown and orange Marmalade Hoverfly.
A very long and slender black wasp with a scattering of dark red markings on its abdomen is feeding on the flowers of Common Yarrow.
An orange and brown Marmalade Hoverfly is feeding on a small pink flower.
A small yellow and black Hoverfly is feeding on a tiny white and blue Common Field Speedwell flower.
A brown and dark orange Comma Butterfly with folded wings is enjoying a feast of Vipers Bugloss nectar.
A small black Fairy Ring Longhorn Beetle with golden brown elytra is feeding on Common Yarrow flowers.
A Souther Hawker Dragonfly has recently emerged from the pond and has a yellowish cream head and thorax with darker abdomen and distinctive darker brown markings throughout.
A Ruddy Darter Dragonfly in a beautiful golden yellow colour with occasional black markings is perched on top of a sunlit Knapweed flower bud.
A Painted Lady Butterfly with closed wings is feeding on the purple blue funnel shaped flowers of Vipers Bugloss.
The light green foliage of a Ragwort plant is lunch for a small orange and black Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar.
A bright red and black 7 Spot Ladybird is hunting on a pale green Teasel flower which has yet to burst into bloom.
A pale brown Grasshopper covered in small darker brown spots is enjoying the sun on a small plant.
A male Broad Bodied Chaser with hairy brown head and thorax and a pale powder blue Abdomen is keeping lookout on a garden cane near the pond.
A Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar with black bands around its bright orange yellow body is feeding on the flower heads of a ragwort plant.


This may look like a Bee but is most likely a Hoverfly!

A large black Hoverfly which apart from its large eyes could easily be mistaken for a Bumblebee.