1 x Painted Lady.
Sunny and warm, with heavy rain later.
Another Soldier Fly. The entire body is a wonderful metallic turquoise. About 12mm long.
The base of the quarry is now a large pond, so I find many Damselflies and dragonflies here.
This is a male Emerald Damselfly - Lestes sponsa.
The approach to the quarry takes us through deciduous woodland. This photograph of the excellent hoverfly Cheilosia illustrata is very difficult to expose correctly: bright sun-lit clearing against the dense dark woodland.
A pair of Common Blue Damselfies in cop.
Male Common Blue Damsel.
Female Emerald Damsel.
Episyrphus balteatus is the only hoverfly to have a second 'shadow' black band.
And a pair of Common Darter Dragonflies (female on left and male on right).
A Honey Bee just launching. I'm also seeing more of these this year.
Lesser Burdock can be an enormous plant. This specimen occupied a two metre hemisphere.
And when you find a new plant, always check for leaf miners. This is Phytomyza lappae, which mines Burdock exclusively. Notice how the mine closely follows the veins on the leaf.
Small Pondweed - Potamogeton berchtoldii - is a new addition to the Species Index.
Red Bartsia - Odontites vernus - is a semi-parasitic plant, feeding off the roots of adjacent plants.
This specimen of Wall Speedwell was growing in the middle of a rarely-used but sheep-grazed lane. At first I caught only the faintest suggestion of blue as I walked along then, back-tracking, I found this single flower, about 3mm. across.