Gratuitous shooting

The Safari was going to tell you more about the North Blackpool Pond Trail's bioblitz but things have now moved on. 

Another broken off lump of Sabellaria reef was ound on the beach and in was another jelly blob. this time we put it in a bucket of water and kept it still for a couple of hours to see what happened...an anemone appeared that's what. We're pretty sure it's a Sagartia troglodytes due to it living in a hole in the 'reef' and having covered itself with bits of sand and shell fragments. looks to be new for Blackpool.

A small Whelk was also found which needs checking to see if its just a very small juvenile Edible Whelk or something else - at the mo we can't remember what the siphon tube and general patternation should look like on the others.

Now fairly surethis is a Dog Whelk

Masked Crab specimens are rarely as fresh and undamaged as this one the youngsters found.

We were able to have a quick look for butterflies on the nearby dunes this arvo and soon caught up with Meadow Browns, they were abundant in the warm sunshine.

Common Blues too were abundant.

But it was another species we'd really come to see, one which we haven't seen for quite a few years now; well as much as we'd like to we just can't go EVERYWHERE, more's the pity!

We found it when it photobombed a Common Blue.

 Grayling - what a little stunner

Don't ever let anyone tell you Ragwort is a weed, it's actually a vital late summer source of nectar for a multitude of insects not least butterflies and bees.

Where to next? More beachy fun tomorrow - what will the children find this time?

In the meantime let us know who's all at sea in your outback.