Bugs and Birds in June

Butterflies, Dragonflies and bugs have been late this year but the river is now warming up.

Large Red Damselflies are usually the first to appear.

Speckled Wood butterflies have been on the wing for some time now,

enjoying the dappled shade of the riverbank.

A Shield bug just jumped onto this stem for a better view.

A Look at The New Ponds

The two new ponds created as part of the new development west of the river have matured well. Last year  a few damselflies and dragonflies were seen on the ponds in early summer.

The larger of the two ponds lies adjacent to the river only a few meters away. The steep river bank forms a barrier together with the more sloping bank of the pond. Native plants and shrubs were introduced on the pond banks and surround it, all growing well, together with the 'wet/damp' meadow area to the south. The planting now merges with the original natural river bank trees and plants. A mixture of reeds and grasses were planted on the clay base of this pond and grow in the lower half. Some new aquatic plants have been installed in the muddy (at present) base of the higher end of the pond. No clear water is visible at the moment as the weather has been dry.

A view over the Large Pond - 18th June 2015

The small pond lies closer to the built area with confined extents (mown grass), a few meters away from the larger pond margin.   This pond (clay base) has some visible clear water towards the centre but this has reduced in extent as the water level has reduced and aquatic plant growth increased.

A view of the central part of the Small Pond - 18th June 2015

On 18th June 2015 at 14.30 it was sunny and very warm. The small pond held at least 9 pairs of  mating Azure damselflies with about 4 single Azure males,  2 Blue-tailed damselflies and 2 single Large Red damselflies.

At the large pond, 2 Large Red damselflies were seen.

On the river itself nearby, 3 Beautiful Demoiselle damselflies were seen and 2 Banded Demoiselle damselflies were seen mating.