admiral days

 

02-09-23 It has been a tremendous season for Red Admirals. There were some around in July but they disappeared after 2 or 3 weeks, before a new batch late August early September. There was an almost total absence of them early in the year (when you might expect a few over-winterers to appear in April) which has made their recent appearance even more welcome. After the weekly parkrun on Saturday the 2nd we took a wander along to Warriston, calling past the butterfly bridge on the way. The combination of sunshine, admirals and buddleia was just fantastic.

admiral in the foreground, Mary behind, on the footbridge over the cyclepath

a peacock too

After plenty of that we went along the cyclpath towards Tesco's where there is a step over the wall into Warriston Cemetery. There are only occasional clumps of buddleia there and they are not well attended. However the brambles are usually better for occasional red admirals, speckleds and whites. Also we are getting closer to birdwatching days again.

Since we had loads of fun "taming" admirals in July, we have been holding out hands for them land on. Mostly Mary but occasionally when being checked out by a butterfly - they fly round your head in circles as if assessing you - I'll hold out a hand. Just occasionally one will land. So it was with this speckled which really surprised me. I only have one other photo in the archives of a speckled wood landing on my hand; I was wearing brightly coloured cycling gloves it took a fancy to. This one enjoyed a few seconds in the sunshine on its fleshy perch before flying off. 

We spent ages in the O Section following this busy admiral between a yellow buddleia and some fluffy pink blooms. Not sure what are called but they had a short flowering season and were wilting by the following visit. The admiral saw us getting closer and seemed to be deliberately nectaring on the least easy side to photograph. We stood about till it worked its way round to the side we could see it from. Every now and then it took offence and flew up into a handy sycamore tree. Mary offered a hand for it to land on but it only looked at us in a contemptuous manner.

While standing around waiting for the RA to return I noticed this ladybird clambering around the same shrub. I was excited because it looked like an exotic yellowy orange multi-spotted affair. However at home, going through my ladybird laminate seemed to suggest it was just one of the many varieties of Harlequin ladybird, and not rare at all.

In the same area is this pretty great bust of a beardy Scottish guy wearing a bunnet, but what's that in the corner of his eye? Some sort of moth which I got a close up of but don't have the time to traipse through the internet looking for an ID. There are too many moths to try to learn all their names. They are often named after their appearance so I expect this one could be a dirty white broomhandle. Or maybe a smudgey teardrinker?

nettles and brambles: risky business!

this looked like it might be someone's home

grey squirrel with pine cone

spiders' webs

female bullfinch

on the way home there are some birdfeeders, always busy with sparrows

goosander (f)

grey wagtail

wood pigeon on gormley

 a last look at the buddleias by the butterfly bridge

Well it was a very nice early September with something of a heatwave. We got used to only going out in a t-shirt and not taking a jacket, although there was still the occasional traditional downpour towards the end of the festival, just to keep the tourists in line. But we really appreciated all the sunshine as did the admirals.