The quarry was abandoned 20 years ago and is now a haven for wildlife. The base of the quarry is a pond with a couple of islands, so we have a large expanse of sheltered (SW-facing) water. The higher parts are used for nesting by Sparrow Hawks, Ravens and Jackdaws. I spotted a Moorhen on the water today.
I don't think it rained all day...3rd time in 42 days.
This is Crested Dogstail grass - Cynosurus cristatus. Hmmm..the close-up shows some rust already.
This was a fairly difficult shot for me. The drop you can just see to the left hand side is about 30m into the pond. So I had to pretend it wasn't there.
Take a little while to look at the beauty of this fly. The wings are almost unveined. The front legs are held out to look like antennae. The black flashes on the thorax look like eyes (but the head is actually almost hidden). This is one of the Chironomidae, or non-biting midges - Cricotopus sylvestris - about 18mm long.
Compare with the Cricotopus from April 21st.
This is the kind of picture that makes a trip worthwhile. The Small Copper butterfly - Lycaena phlaeas. It landed for about 5 seconds and I managed 3 shots. This specimen is of the aberrant colour form caeruleopunctata; it has blue markings towards the rear of the wing.
This is a 'teneral' Damselfly...they emerge pink and then take on their final colour. Since I saw adults of both Large Red Damsels and Common Blue Damsels today, that's as far as I'll go.
This is a Snipe Fly - Rhagio scolopacea. These are carnivorous flies that catch their prey in mid-air and then land and suck them dry. Also known as the 'down-looker fly', as it perches in this classic head-down posture. About 18mm long.
I've seen this orange crust at this spot before. Not sure if it's fungal or an alga.
