Eight members met at High Batts nature reserve near Ripon for the June field meeting. The reserve is a private reserve managed by the members and is am excellent small reserve alongside the river Ure nestled deep within private land belonging to Hanson’s Quarries Ltd. There is a mixture of woodland, meadow and ponds giving a wide variety of flora and fauna and an opportunity (with luck) to see otters, kingfisher, orchids and butterflies. Our first visit in 2023 was a cold dull day and this year, the weather appeared set for similar but in the end, turned into a sunny but breezy day. The highlight of the day for many was the opportunity to see and photograph black-tailed skimmer, but other species included enchanter’s nightshade, viper’s-bugloss, pyramidal and common spotted orchid, banded demoiselle and various butterflies.
Feel free to send in images from the visit. Below is an image of the black-tailed skimmer along with a few of the orchids
