Sunny and hot, with a little rain later.
Autumn Hawkbit - Leontodon autumnalis - has flowered. It tends to creep up unnoticed because the Catsear is already open, but it can easily be separated by the very cut leaves and the red underside to the outer petals.
A new bumblebee for this location: Bombus pratorum - the Early Nesting Bumblebee. One important identification feature is not visible, so I'll mention that there is only a single yellow band, and it's on the thorax. Supposedly common in Ireland, but I'm sure it's the first I've seen here.
I showed the queen from a different location on June 23rd.
Another plant with strange environmental requirements. I only find it in this location (high heath) and the seashore. Often in the company of Common Centaury, but not present everywhere that Centaury is found, so it's even more choosy. Knotted Pearlwort - Sagina nodosa.
Having first found this hoverfly earlier this year in Drumboe, I've now found it much more locally. A female Leucozona laternaria.
A little odd: the lower flowers on this Spotted Orchid look like Heath Spotted Orchid (round lip with small tooth), but the upper flowers have three teeth, just like Common Spotted Orchid. And all stages in between. Obviously a hybrid.
An interesting Willow. It's very prostrate (about 10 cm. tall), the branches are smooth and red, the leaves all emerge on the upper side of the branch, and are very like those of Eared Willow. Maybe something like a Creeping Willow/EaredWillow hybrid. At first I thought this specimen was stunted due to being in the middle of a path, but there were similar specimens close-by on the verge.
The third Heath on the patch - Purple Heather - Calluna vulgaris.
Silver-ground Carpet moths are very numerous at the moment.
Most of the Lady's Smock flowers have gone now, along with their associated Orange Tip larvae. This is a very late example.