DRAGONFLIES Completion of the circuit of the North and Delf Streams early in the month revealed a total of 52 Scarce Chasers, which puts previous views of the status of this uncommon and local species into a wholly new context. Black-tailed Skimmers were widespread and numerous, the summer's first Small Red-eyed Damselflies were seen on the 3rd, a Southern Hawker was patrolling the edge of the Elms on the 8th .

Small Red-eyed Damselfly (Ian Hodgson)

The summer's first Ruddy Darter was seen in one of the gullies, a young male Scarce Chaser was found inside the Observatory building on the 10th and the 12th brought the news of the discovery of the first LESSER EMPEROR for the recording area; a male in Waldershare Gully. The season's first Brown Hawkers and Migrant Hawker were both discovered on the 13th, with Small Red-eyed Damselflies becoming steadily more widespread, reaching levels of 60 on Worth and 13 on New Downs New Pool on the 16th, which featured 21 Emerald Damselflies along the North Stream; the most ever recorded at the Bay. .

Lesser Emperor (photo by Gill Brook)

BUTTERFLIES This year’s total of butterflies at the midway point in the transect season had reached 410 at the end of June, well short of the 605 that had been recorded at the same time last year, but the first week of July featured numbers that were very similar to last year, with particularly good numbers of Marbled Whites, of which 120 were on the Estate on the 3rd. Things continued to improve on the 8th, with the first 2 Gatekeepers of the season, over a hundred Meadow Browns and a Comma, while numbers of Marbled Whites and Small/Essex Skippers remained high. The second half of the month brought a considerable improvement in numbers, with transect totals on the Estate of 501 on the 23rd and 464 on the 30th, including a sudden emerge of Common Blues, of which there were 70-80 on the latter date.

MOTHS Little trapping has been done this year, but a Forester was seen in one of the gullies on the 15th.

The Forester (photo by Jane Relton)