Brown Argus butterfly

Nicola photographed this Brown Argus feeding on a cornflower on 26 August. The caterpillar of this species has an unusual relationship with ants. As it grows, it produces a secretion that is irresistible to them, and when it turns into a chrysalis they will carry it away and bury it underground. There is no shortage of ants on the Trap Grounds. One of the ant heaps has proved irresistible to a fox, which has been poking deep inside it for sustenance. And so the cycle of life goes on ...

Brown Argus (female?), Trap Grounds, 26.08.2019, Nicola Devine

And speaking of foxes, on visits to the Trap Grounds do you ever get the feeling that you are being watched?

Trap Grounds fox (Nicola Devine, 29 August 2019), 

Stock Doves again

On 16 August Nicola photographed a pair of Stock Doves mating (scroll down to see the evidence), next to the requisitioned owl box from which their chicks were clamouring for food. By yesterday (27 August) those chicks had ventured out of the box and were still calling for food, while their mother disappeared into the box for a long period, presumably to lay more eggs. Nicola says that at this rate our resident pair will be single-handedly responsible for removing Stock Doves from the Amber List of Conservation Concern!

Young Stock Doves, Trap Grounds, 27.8.19 (Nicola Devine)

August is a purple month

Purple flowers are everywhere on the Trap Grounds this month, in the form of thistles, teasels, marjoram, mallow, knapweed, water mint, hemp agrimony, clustered bellflower, buddleia and michaelmas daisies (both of them garden escapes) ... and (photographed below) Great Willowherb, Rosebay Willowherb, Purple Loosestrife, and Phragmites australis.

Great Willowherb. (C. Robinson, Trap Grounds, August 2019)

Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum -- 'hirsutum' refers to the softly hairy stem) frequents damp places and flourishes on the banks of the TG ponds and streams. Many insects feed on the leaves, including the Elephant Hawkmoth, Deilephila elpenor. This is the largest of all the willowherbs, even taller than the spiky-flowered Rosebay Willowherb (below), which flourishes on waste ground.

Rosebay Willowherb (C. Robinson, Trap Grounds, August 2019)

Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria (below), even taller than Great Willowherb, is another plant that flourishes in reedbeds, marshes, and riverbanks. Its nectar is a valuable food source for long-tongued insects, such as Brimstone butterflies, Red-tailed Bumblebees, and Elephant Hawkmoths.

Purple Loosestrife (C. Robinson, Trap Grounds, August 2019)

Even our ubiquitous reeds, Phragmites australis, providing safe havens for Water Voles, Water Rails, Reed Buntings, and Reed Warblers, produce purple flowers in dense panicles in August.

Phragmites australis (C. Robinson, Trap Grounds, August 2019)

August 23rd

Adam Hartley very kindly created this blog for the Friends of the Trap Grounds in mid-August 2019. In retrospect here are a few of Nicola Devine's outstanding photographs taken last month, starting with a Silver-Washed Fritillary observed on 4 July.

Silver-Washed Fritillary, Trap Grounds, 4 July 2019 (Nicola Devine)

On the previous day, Nicola photographed a Southern Hawker teneral emerging from its exuvia:

Southern Hawker, emerging from its exuvia (Trap Grounds, Nicola Devine, August 2019)

and a Six-Spot Burnet Moth emerging from its cocoon, while nearby two of the same species were mating:

Six-spot Burnet Moth, emerging from exuvia (Trap Grounds, Nicola Devine, August 2019)

Six-spot Burnet Moths mating (Trap Grounds, Nicola Devine, August 2019)

19th August

Another visit late morning to look for Nicola's Small Red-eyed Damselflies, again sadly without success. Saw quite a few Blue-tailed Damselflies, lots of red Darters of both species, one Brown Hawker on the Swan Pond and one blue Damselfly (Common or Azure).

Adam

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Common Darter

17th August

I visited this afternoon with my camera to look for Nicola's Small Red-eyed Damselflies. Sadly there was no sign of them though there were quite a few Blue-tailed Damsels around. There was plenty of other insects to see though, especially in the Meadow area where the Wild Marjoram was buzzing with activity. Butterflies seen included: Brown Argus, Small Copper, Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood and various Whites.

Adam

Brown Argus

Ruddy Darter

Stock Doves on the TG UK Conservation Status: Amber

A pair of Stock Doves were mating today, alongside the owl box that they requisitioned earlier this year for their offspring. It seemed late in the summer for them to be mating, but apparently they mate up to four times each year; and indeed their previous brood were still in the box, calling for food!

So here is the definitive proof: Stock Doves ARE breeding on the TG.  And the cutest thing was that once they had finished mating, they seemed to face each other one last time and bow.

Nicola 

Stock Doves mating (Nicola Devine, August 2019)

An early start this morning .... Mr Fox

A fox, glimpsed on the east bank of the Kingfisher Pond, enjoying the sunshine. 

Nicola Devine

Relaxing on the bank of the Kingfisher Pond (Nicola Devine, August 2019)

Then strolling off into the woodland. (Nicola Devine, August 2019)

A huge stroke of luck yesterday

The first reported sighting of a Kingfisher for many months, perched above Tim's Pond. And then, even more exciting ...

Mr. K courtesy of Nicola Devine

… a new damselfly, photographed on a butterbur leaf on the bank of Tim's Pond, and later identified by Stephen Burch (Country Dragonfly Recorder) as a Small Red-eyed Damsel: "An amazing find, as I am only aware of one other reliable site in the county for this species - and that is in Faringdon! So very well done on that."

This brings to 20 the number of species of damsel and dragon confirmed on the Trap Grounds (out of the 33 species recorded in the whole of Oxfordshire).

Nicola Devine

Small Red-eyed Damselfly courtesy of Nicola Devine

Migrant Hawker courtesy of Nicola Devine