Colin Booker and I took a trip to Brockadale yesterday, with the expectation of seeing lots of butterflies. However, we found very few flowers on the knapweed and this was one reason why butterfly numbers were low.
Marbled white
We saw a few marbled white and a single dark green fritillary.
Green-veined white
A highlight was the sight of banded demoiselles flitting around by the river.
Banded demoiselle (male
Banded demoiselle (female)
The demoiselles are found at the foot of the field in which musk thistle is often to be found.
Musk thistle
Although it wasn’t especially sunny, we saw at least five common lizards basking on logs.
Common lizard (pregnant?)
One lizard looked quite plump. Common lizards(Zootoca vivipara) are viviparous, i.e. they give birth to live young. This typically happens in July, so there is a good chance that the plump lizard was pregnant.
Common lizard