A Kentish Helleborine Hunt - 10th August 2020

Boy was it warm again yesterday!  I sort of hid for the weekend bar a circuit out on Saturday and a visit to my parents to gently roast in the garden for lunch although I did find some good flies!

I had to take my three cats for their annual check up first thing but was back in time to be picked up by Paul M for a venture out into the steamy Kent countryside.  Our first stop was Covet Wood to the south of Canterbury where Rich H had seen Violet Helleborines last week.  The lane were what you might normally call Cornish or perhaps South Devon with a nice strip of grass down the middle but we soon navigated our way to the correct car par and set off up through the Beech wood trying (in my case) not to be distracted by ‘Oooo...look at that fly’ moments on the way up.

It did not take too long to find our quarry and settle down to try and take some images in the low light.  This was a new species for me and the two clumps afforded a variety of different coloured flowers but all with narrow leaves and purplish stems.

 

It was attended by lots of tiny bees and a single Wasp that I believe is Dolichovespula norwegica due to the reddish patches on the tergite one and two.  Like the ones we saw at The Larches, it was getting loaded down with pollinia which it was successfully transferring  between blooms and plants.

Dolichovespula norwegica

There was not a breath of wind in the wood and I could hear Treecreepers and Coal Tits and then the explosive sneezing of several Marsh Tits while two Ravens kronked invisibly above the canopy. The ride side distracted me on our return walk and I picked up quite a few hoverflies including Episyrphus balteatus, Eristalis tenax, pertinax and arbustorum, Helophilus pendulus, Melanostoma millinum, Platycheirus albimanus, Syrphus and Spaerophoria sp, several annoying Cheilosia that I think are in the pagana/soror grouping and four rather splendid Rhingia rostrata.

Cheilosia sp

Rhingia rostrata

Melanostoma millinum

Eristalis pertinax

There were lots of other flies too including what I think are Phaonia with the females appearing bigger than the males (but then again there could be two species), a Tachinid and a rather funky female Phasia hemiptera.  I have only seen the big males before so I did not know I was looking at the same species to start with.

Phaonia?

 

 

Tachinid

Phasia hemiptera

A multitude of wasps were on the Hogweed with what I believe to be Dolichovespula saxonica in the majority and several larger Dolichovespula sylvestris amongst them but I am awaiting advice on these. 

Dolichovespula sylvestris with a tiny black dot in the yellow face?

Dolichovespula saxonica with a black bar coming up from bottom of the yellow?

Dolichovespula saxonica with D sylvestris top right?

Dolichovespula sylvestris

A single Gasteruption jaculator drifted in and Dioctria linearis - a species of slim Robberfly.  I really struggled with the camera here though and most of my pictures were just not sharp enough in the low light and I am not quite savvy enough yet to instinctively sort out the settings. 

Dioctria linearis

Gasteruption jaculator

A breeze was required so we headed for the coast and St Margerets for a walk along the cliff top from Bockhill to Kingsdown Leas notionally in the hope of finding Long-tailed Blue on the Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea.  It was infact blowy and hazy too but we pushed on passing plenty of flowering Ragwort, Knapweed and Wild Parsnip but with very few insects to be seen.

Wall Browns flicked and glided ahead of us and we started to see a few Meadow Browns and Common Blues but most of the butterflies started to appear as we approached the edge of the golf course and also found the first vibrant pink pea flowers rambling through the grasses and bushes.   

Wall Brown

The next couple of hours were spent ambling up and down and although I saw a female Long-tailed Blue for a couple for seconds perched up, I failed to refind it.  However there was ample recompense with countless Chalk-hill Blues and quite a few very showy Adonis (new for Paul) as well as Small and Common Blues and many more Wall Brown.  Silver Y moths were everywhere! The breeze was making it tricky to get shots and the Walls in particular, closed their wings up as soon as you lifted the camera!

Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea

Common Blue

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue

Small Blue

Chalk Hill Blue

 

Silver-Y

 

The RAF A400M was on manoeuvres of some sort and conducted three cliff top level circuits during our visit and I even saw it over my parents place in Ilford on Sunday. 

Both Long-winged and Short-winged Conesheads were in the grass and Andrena pilipes was feeding on the Hemp Agrimony with Honeys and Bumbles.  Bee Wolves were on the prowl and I saw one take a Honey Bee with no effort whatsoever. I counted 13 Helophilus trivittatus on the walk which is probably more than I have ever seen all told!

Helophilus trivittatus

We returned towards the monument adding Painted Lady, Peacock and Red Admiral but still no Clouded Yellow!

Long-winged Conehead

Andrena pilipes

Red Admiral

Ploughman's Spikenard

Carline Thistle

Sandwich Terns could be heard offshore and Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and both Whitethroats were heard in the scrubby edges but visibility was deteriorating and the sound of a fog horn could already be heard.  There was no chance of seeing France today!

We retraced our steps towards Canterbury and stopped at Queendown Warren at about 6pm. It was still 32c and the hillside was heaving with butterflies. Paul had not seen Silver Spotted Skipper and this was quickly rectified in the wondrous light and there were even more 

Silver Spotted Skipper

Chalk Hill Blue

Autumn Ladies Tresses pushing through and some were now in full spiral flower.

It was the perfect place to round up a stinky hot day.

Autumn Ladies Tresses - Paul Manning